Nearly every character in Lone Women has a deep-seated secret. Adelaide’s secret is the central focus of the novel, as the narrative follows her struggles with keeping the truth of her monstrous sister and family history to herself even as she longs to share it with others. The other “lone women,” like Grace Price, also have their own secrets. In Grace’s case, she is hiding the fact that she murdered her husband, and she also tries to conceal the details of Sam’s gender. Similarly, Bertie and Fiona must keep their romantic relationship a secret, and even Mrs. Reed, who holds herself up as an outward example of honesty and integrity, is keeping several secrets, including the nature of her husband’s work on the “Vigilance Committee” and the fact that she once gave birth to her own monstrous child. Thus, the novel demonstrates that everyone is always hiding some part of themselves, and the outcome of the story indicates that these secrets can only be shared with those who are most trusted.

Even when these secrets must be kept out of necessity and self-preservation, they are nonetheless depicted as cumbersome, weighing down the characters in the novel.