A theme in literature is the central topic of the work, and is the concept that the author wants the reader to think about. In Pygmalion, the central theme is the importance of appearance in society and how people treat you in regards to it. When the play begins, Eliza is a flower girl on the streets and is treated like trash in the gutter. When Eliza changed the way that she spoke and dressed, London society became enchanted by her and began treating her as if she was a royal princess from Hungary. This signifies the superficiality of Victorian London Society, and how it doesn't matter what class a person is from as long as they 'talk the talk' and 'walk the walk'.