Read these excerpts from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" and F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Winter Dreams." What common theme do they share?

I don't like our room a bit. I wanted one downstairs that opened on the piazza [large porch]. . . but John would not hear of it. He is very careful and loving, and hardly lets me stir without special direction.
(from "The Yellow Wallpaper")

His heart turned over like the fly-wheel of the boat, and, for the second time, her casual whim gave a new direction to his life . . . Dexter had no desire to change her. Her deficiencies were knit up with a passionate energy that transcended and justified them . . . The helpless part of trying to do anything about it was that she did it all herself.
(from "Winter Dreams")

the sanctity of marriage

the inability of people to solve problems
the dynamics between genders

the state of mental healthcare
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In literature, the word theme refers to a belief or idea related to some aspect of life such as love, death or war the author of a text wants to show to the audience usually in an implicit way and mainly by conveying this idea through the characters' actions, values, and thoughts.

In the case of the first excerpt from one female character explains she would like a different room but another character which is called John would not have allowed her to do this at it seems he controls her decisions which shows the main idea of the man controlling the decisions of the woman. On the other hand, the second excerpt reveals a mal character seems to be deeply in love with a girl and despite her flaws, he did not wish to change her or stop her which shows, in this case, the main idea is the man that lets the woman be herself.

This implies both excerpts share a common belief about life or theme which is related to the role of women and men or the dynamics between genders, which in the first case is the man as an authority and in the second case is the freedom of the woman.