The answer is the struggle between realistic and supernatural elements
Change the phrase "shooting the breeze" because it is too informal and cannot be understood literally.
The theme of the piece would be women are suffering and there does not seem to be any relief in sight. The only plausible answer is option A or option B, but the words 'they are more patient' in option A is a little bit of unsupported generalization rather than a theme, so i'd pick B.
hope this helps
Holden was narrating the story in a confusing and untrustworthy manner because he also was not sure who he was really talking about. He clearly did not want to put blame on a single person. It was also the author's intention to confuse the readers to give the twist at the end more striking.
