Honour and all that
The theme of honour, or lack thereof, is one that runs through GRR Martin's books a Song of Ice and Fire.
Eddard Stark was literally stiff with honour and he ended up dead because of it.
As the story moved on without him, we see the people with little or no honour winning; often by manipulation. Like in real life, those without a moral compass (Cersei, Littlefinger) were seen to prosper while those with honour wound up dead (Robb Stark).
A few characters walk a very delicate line, deciding that a little bad is acceptable as long as the majority (or the common good) gains.
Then came episode 5 of season 6 where the origins of the Night King and the White Walkers was revealed. Leaf justifies the decision as they were at war and needed to defend themselves. But using sentient beings as weapons has a downside in that they will get their own ideas about who should be running things and will turn on their creators.
And that's where it hit me.
Having a sense of honour is bad for an individual; it puts that person at a distinct disadvantage against those who will do anything to gain their desires.
But, as a species, those with a sense of honour and a keen responsibility for the common good are the people who will save us all.
Great theme, GRRM! Even if that's not what you had in mind, it's still a great theme.