The Flies is a work with multiple interpretations; it is a renewal of the myth of the Atreids, as well as of tragedy in general, the odyssey of the individual toward the breaking of every bond in the name of personal choice and individual freedom, but also the author's resistance against every form of power, bestowing upon world dramaturgy a unique theatrical work, rich in meanings and content.

The play was written in 1943 and is based on Aeschylus' The Libation Bearers. Its significance lies not only in clarifying Sartre's philosophical reflections on the subject of individual freedom, but also in fulfilling his literary duty, of which he was an ardent supporter, through the writing of an allegory of War with a resistance character.