A Moon for the Misbegotten has been recognized as one of O'Neill's greatest theatrical achievements - a unique blend of comedy, tragedy, autobiography, and fantasy - which is why it remains an intriguing study of both futility and forgiveness.

Its unsympathetic characters - the anti-heroes - are presented in a sympathetic light, and their plight is quite familiar to anyone who has abandoned their dreams. It is a funny and tragic portrait of desperate people in difficult circumstances and the ways in which we hurt those we love.

In this way, the work is true to O'Neill's intention: the moon does not light up the sky but instead reflects in melancholic fragments on a turbulent sea of sorrow.