What is the theme in The Cocktail Party by T. S. Eliot?

Throughout the work, Eliot explores the theme of self-identity, which becomes central to the plot. He demonstrates that all people put up a front or façade that they want others to believe. Those constructing false appearances may even come to believe in them so thoroughly that they ultimately even lie to themselves about that facade. In particular, Edward and Lavinia each have been telling others, and themselves, stories about what they believed to be true, only to discover during the play that they were not fooling anyone.