Alcoholism: Poe's stories are often dark and disturbing, reflecting his own struggles with alcoholism. He frequently wrote about characters who succumbed to their addictions, leading tragic outcomes. In ''The Black Cat, the narrator falls into alcoholism that leads him to his demise.
Mental Illness: These two stories reveal the characters' descent into madness and psychological instability with vivid symbolism in both cases representing Poe's struggles with his health. Poe suffered several physical, psychiatric, and cognitive ailments during his years at West Point in 1831–3
Loss and Death: Losing his mother Eliza at two is something reflected in a significant amount of his writing due to its profound impacts in Poe's life. Loss and death dominate The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart. The plot points are driven by main characters facing their worst nightmares of losing their most valued companions through their actions.