The theme of a novel can be conveyed only through the events of the plot, the
events of the plot depend on the characterization of the men who enact
them—and the characterization cannot be achieved except through the events of
the plot, and the plot cannot be constructed without a theme.
This is the kind of integration required by the nature of a novel. And this is
why a good novel is an indivisible sum: every scene, sequence and passage of a
good novel has to involve, contribute to and advance all three of its major
attributes: theme, plot, characterization.