This is ultimately a story of perception, both the perception of the readers and the perception of the characters themselves. It matters not what the truth is - what matters is what we ourselves believe. That is what controls our behavior. De Maurier cleverly puts us into the narrator's position - by being unnamed, it is easier for the reader to actually BE her, and to be experiencing things as she does. We go in, like she does, knowing almost nothing, but quickly become full of suspicion.
Mrs. Danvers perception of Rebecca appears positive, as she is loyal to the ways of her former mistress and cold towards our narrator. The new Mrs. de Winter perceives that Maxim greatly loved his wife. However, we learn that this perception is false, as Maxim as killed his former Mrs.. Maxim presents Rebecca as having been a mean-spirited and disloyal woman. But is this really true? The narrator accepts Maxim's perception in the end because she loves him, and by believing him, she can dismiss that he is a murderer. However, this does not absolve him of guilt, and it does not prove that Rebecca deserve to have died. It is all about what each person "chooses" to believe.
A quote by Maxim sums up this theme: "They all believed in her down here." He refers to Rebecca's adoring public. They "believed" in her - but belief (perception) is not truth.
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