LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Confederacy of Dunces, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Medievalism, Modernity, and Fate
The Legacy of Slavery
Sexuality, Attraction, and Repulsion
Freedom
Appearance, Identity, and Disguise
Hypocrisy and Self-Interest
Summary
Analysis
In her cell, Lana Lee reads the newspaper article and then tears the paper up in a fury. Lana is in a cell with Betty, Frieda, and Liz and is not happy about it. She screams at the warden to move her, but the warden ignores her pleas. Betty, Frieda, and Liz begin to tease Lana. Finally, they pounce on her and try to get the pornographic photos which she has stashed in her bra.
Lana gets what she deserves and is finally arrested for her immoral and criminal behavior. She is punished not only because of her criminal activity, but because she is selfish. If she had been kind to Jones and employed him for a fair wage, rather than trying to exploit him, he would likely have been inclined to keep her secret rather than go to the police.