Like "Through a Glass Darkly", "Winter Light" describes God as a "spider-god", with "Winter Light" explaining the metaphor when Tomas relates the spider-god to suffering, as opposed to his previous ideas of a God of love that provides comfort. The ending may mean Tomas has decided God does not exist, or that Tomas learns he must keep his faith because all Christians, including Jesus, grapple with God's silence. In Bergman's view, "Winter Light" represents the end of his study on whether God exists, after which human love became his main concern.