The main plot, about the Pennyboy family and Lady Pecunia, is a satire on the emerging ethic of capitalism; and the play features a complex threefold satire on abuses of language, in the News Staple, the society of jeerers, and the project for a Canting College. The play also provides an expression of the females-out-of-control theme that is so central and recurrent in Jonson's plays, from the Ladies Collegiate in Epicene (1609) to the three bad servants in The Magnetic Lady (1632).
The central narrative, revolving around the Pennyboy family and Lady Pecunia, serves as a commentary on the rising ideology of capitalism; and the play showcases a multifaceted satire targeting linguistic abuses in the News Staple, the society of mockers, and the project for a Canting College. The play also explores the recurring theme of female empowerment, characteristic of Jonson's works, such as Epicene (1609) and The Magnetic Lady (1632).