What is the theme in Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman?

The importance of stories and storytelling is an important and recurring theme in the stories in this collection. Stories are shown as a way to connect one generation with the next, and to pass on important messages. In "Locks," the poet is telling the story of Goldilocks to his child and reflecting on how he was told the same story by his parents. This is a story that is passed down the generations and repeated over and over, with children learning the correct responses to certain phrases. It teaches certain lessons, such as the danger of excess curiosity, but also teaches the child the importance of stories, of magic and the imagination. Different things can be gained from stories at different ages, however, a point illustrated beautifully by the poem "Locks" and the story "The Problem of Susan." What may not trouble a child will cause an adult to reconsider certain characters and events. Whereas a child may sympathize with Goldilocks, her father will feel for Father Bear and worry about the security of his own home.