Harrow’s inability to work through her grief causes her problems within the novel. Her grief also allows for a purposefully confusing second-person narration and an atemporal ordering of the chapters. The framework of the novel is a vehicle for conveying Harrow’s inability to cope with Gideon’s loss. While Harrow takes place within a sweeping, epic space opera series spanning empires, solar systems, and the afterlife, Harrow is ultimately a classic representation of the literary conflict “human versus self.”

An inability to cope with grief is presented as a common trait among Lyctors. Although the other Lyctors have consumed their cavaliers’ souls, their lack of healthy coping mechanisms shows in their behaviors and words. Mercy and Augustine are incapable of coming to terms with the atrocities they’ve committed, especially upon discovering that John lied to them about the necessity of their cavaliers’ deaths. They conspire to overthrow him and put an end to the entirety of the Nine Houses because of it. Additionally, their grief shows through their attitudes regarding their late cavaliers; Mercy is extremely touchy when Cristabel is brought up, though she repeatedly weaponizes Cristabel’s memory herself. Ianthe similarly fails to cope with Coronabeth’s loss; she rejects the idea that Coronabeth is dead.