Hogg is a fan of doubling, of duplication, and of doppelgangers. Taken together, the story is still inconclusive and the reader must come to terms with the fact that both objective and subjective accounts have their limitations. He has no way to know certain things, and cannot even provide a satisfactory conclusion to his account. He is relating mostly secondhand information and coming to conclusions about it. The Editor may be the objective voice, but his account is problematic as well. Gil-Martin is a mystery, his status as devil or delusion unresolved. He tells the story in his own words but admits he cannot account for his actions. We are in the position of the Editor, forced to say we do not understand the work before us. Indeed, even though we essentially have the same story told twice, we are left with more questions than answers at the end.
One of the most prevalent themes in the criticism of the novel is that of the unreliability and instability of the narrative. Fanaticism is dangerous for the individual and for society. Fanatical beliefs, in fact, often lead their adherents to do things that the scriptures would actually forbid. Blanchard's critique of Robert and Gil-Martin is appropriate to reference here, as he notes that the views are extremist, dangerous, and against the spirit of Christianity. This sets fanatics apart from modern society with its emphasis on sublimation of individual impulse in order to promote the collective good. Fanatics adhere to dogma in the most restrictive, zealous way, claiming that their own interpretation of scripture is the only valid one. Set in Scotland during a period of strife regarding church and state, the antinomian strain of Calvinism is depicted as both an understandable development in light of its context but also as an excrescence, a perversion of the truth faith. The novel is often seen as a commentary on religious fanaticism.
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