Stanley Kubrick
Barry Lindon

It's the era of English gardens, of man trying to dominate nature by incorporating it into orderly architectures. Similarly, man attempts to control his own nature through complicated behavioral rules but merely disguises his true nature. The courteous bandit, who steals everything except Redmond's boots, is like the polite gentlemen who let themselves be corrupted without giving him anything in return.

There is love. Redmond Barry falls in love with Nora and is deceived. He travels the world and learns that it is not a pleasant place. From that moment, he no longer allows himself the luxury of love. And when he finally puts himself wholly into the love for his little son, Brian dies, and Barry is once again left devastated.

Then there is the difference between social classes. Barry belongs to the middle class, and his only ambition is to get rich, an occupation suited to him. He is comfortable both when fighting like the lower classes (bare fists) and in the combats preferred by the higher classes (guns and swords). Even after marrying Lady Lyndon, he still belongs to a lower class because he doesn't have his own money (his wife holds the purse strings) and lacks a noble title. He spends a lot of money trying to climb the social ladder, but in the end, he reveals his true nature by punching Lord Bullington. At this point, Barry, who until then was only tolerated but never accepted, is shunned by everyone.

No matter how many attempts are made, it is impossible to change the social class one is born into.

Kubrick wisely stated that a work that speaks of the future as if of the past, and therefore must be imagined, is science fiction.