The film adheres to Victorian social constraints without explicit depictions of queer romance. While Holmes and Watson share a profound, vulnerable emotional bond, it remains within traditional heteronormative frameworks.

The narrative centers on a masculine intellectual partnership, reinforcing traditional leadership structures. Female characters possess social agency appropriate to the era, though they rarely drive the central plot.

The setting presents a largely homogeneous Anglo-Saxon landscape. While an elderly American is mentioned, the production does not utilize diverse ethnic ensembles or race-bent casting.

As a Soviet production, the film subtly deconstructs Western imperial institutions by highlighting systemic decay. It focuses on investigative nuance rather than the glorification of state authority.

No characters with visible disabilities are central to the plot. Holmes’s hyper-focus is treated with intellectual respect, though it lacks a modern framework of disability agency.