What is the theme of "Games at Twilight" by Anita Desai?

The theme of “Games at Twilight” is the struggle of individuals to find themselves in the face of familial and societal pressures. Salman Rushdie identifies Desai’s characters as isolated figures. Her works explore the choices made by people who feel profoundly different from those around them.

Woven into the theme of "Games at Twilight" are such subjects as the failure of marriage, subverted homes, alienation and the awakening of the individual. Desai portrays her characters and their struggles with great sensitivity; her characters see themselves as ill-fitted to society and must therefore fight against determinism stemming from family, culture and the times in which they live.