Firstly, the Aboriginal value system has family as the core unit in society. In this play, the consequences that result from Dolly's failure to fulfill her role in the family are outlined through her daughter Rose. Rose is unable to foster a mother-child tie and that non-existent love turns to hatred when she declares that hating her mother is the best part of being alive'. Fortunately, she receives acceptance with the Lambs, when she marries Quick, that helps her to forgive her mother and embrace the Aboriginal values of family unity. Directly related to that is the sense of belonging to a home and the importance of a space. The house is personified within the text and is seen as a reflection of the beings that occupy it, as is traditionally Aboriginal. The history of the house is established suggesting that a type of evil lingers within the house, only overcame when Rose and Quick's night of passion and love takes place bringing a positive energy. It takes the black man' as a symbol of Aboriginal culture to bring Sam to realize that "you shouldn't break a place. Places are important, strong."" Finally there is human's coexistence with the land and nature that deals with perhaps the most challenging issue in the play, the drowning of Fish Lamb. Drawing from traditional Aboriginal culture, Winton points towards a departure from the purgatory of living a retarded existence and entering into the spiritual world he belongs to. For more information check documents referring to Aboriginality in Winton's Cloudstreet.
Having an understanding of the style and context, the themes of gender and class can now be readily understood. In view of the fact that the play is almost wholly dedicated to one social group, most if not all of the remaining characters can be seen as comparisons made to the hegemony. Firstly, there is the notion of employment which defines the rule that a male must have a job and the females are also workers supporting the family.
