A major theme in this novel is prejudice, and not just racial prejudice. This is a small town in the 1930s south, and despite the fact that there are some liberal folks there who believe people should be treated equally (Atticus and Miss Maudie, for example), there are still an awful lot of people who think blacks have their place and should just stay in it. During the trial of Tom Robinson, it is shown that even though progress has been made (think of how hard Atticus worked to defend Tom), they still have a long way to go when there is overwhelming evidence to acquit Tom of the rape charges against Mayella Ewell - and yet the jury still finds him guilty.
I said above that the book isn't just about racial prejudice. It's also about intolerance of any kind. Boo Radley is someone who Scout and Jem learn to respect and treat the way they would want to be treated, even though he and his family is vastly different from their own.
Check the link below for more information about the themes of this great book. Good luck!
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