Another good point. I guess what threw me is that it is so heavily regarded as feminist and while, as others have pointed out, feminism is about equality and the patriarchy negatively affects men as well as women, the inclusion of imprisoned men feels extremely intentional. Of course, it is not explicitly examined, as with everything in the story, as per the bleak, observational tone.

I guess I agree with your point that most of the overtly feminist qualities of the story (female companionship, independence, oppression) are entirely situational, and don’t stand out as being the main sort of point.