In Machinal , economics and social standards create a theme world that enforces mechanization on humanity. War capitalism controls the theme world of Mother Courage. In Happy Days , distorted social standards generate a theme world of dysfunctional dreams. The Birthday Party is a theme world controlled by nameless, menacing power. The lesson for actors, directors, and designers is that given circumstances in nonrealistic plays express themselves primarily through the theme, and any deviations from overt cause-and-effect expectations need to be theatricalized to illustrate the thematically constructed world.