What are the motifs in The Odd Couple by Neil Simon?

Change and transformation are recurring ideas in the play. The only way that marriages survive is through the compromise that must occur when inevitable conflicts arise. Oscar and Felix's experience shows that some conflicts are too great for compromise, but they point the way toward the necessity for compromise by demonstrating slight changes in then- personalities by the end of the play. Oscar's change becomes clear when he receives a phone call from his ex-wife and reveals that he paid up his alimony in full. He says, "you don't have to thank me. I'm just doing what's right." Oscar's relationship with his wife and son appear to be improving because he has become a more responsible husband and father.