This is a book jam-packed with misanthropes. And yet, I believe the underlying thesis is that most of society is populated with misanthropes and monsters. 
 This collection is broken into five sections, seemingly thematically. The first section seems to be largely introspective on identity and gender roles. Some feel rather thin on story, but frequently deliver a sense of discomfort. "Like Mother Used to Make" is probably the most representative of this section, as it includes an inversion of traditional gender roles followed by a slow displacement of our protagonist from their relationships and their home. If this is through the lens of unreliable narration, this could lend itself to even more interpretation. 
 The second section seems to deal with deals with prejudices and bigotry. "The Witch" is a delightfully misanthropic story where a stranger punishes a mother for having an uncontrolled and generally terrible child by encouraging him to greater depths of savagery. "The Renegade" is the strongest story in this collection after "The Lottery". The social manipulation rife throughout this collection is needle point precision in the ostracism of outsiders and the destruction of the spirit of those deemed weakest in the pack. "After You, My Dear Alphonse" effectively sticks with pins, mounts, and frames the soft bigotry of low expectations while leaving the protagonist blithely unaware. 
 The third section seems to be firmly rooted in showing how terrible humans are to each other, frequently through oppressive politeness. "Colloquy" documents one woman's unraveling with her doctor prescribing platitudes. "The Dummy" not only shows a ventriloquist living through his dummy, but an outsider being so upset by the behavior that they lash out. Yet they curiously lash out at the dummy rather than the ventriloquist. 
 The fourth section seems to be where despair wins. "The Lottery" remains an incredible masterpiece where the pieces slowly come together into the horrific crescendo asking us to question blind adherence to tradition. The next most fascinating piece from this section was "The Tooth" which follows a surreal journey of a woman in a broken physical and mental state to have an extraction. Part of me wonders whether this was an oblique story about abortion rather than about dental work. It seemed an absurd amount of effort for dental work, and the destruction of self and sanity would seem better suited for a different kind of extraction. 
 The fifth section is a grim epilogue. This collection merits further consideration and a spot on the future schedule for a re-read.