Despite the lighter moments and the rich vein of humour that runs through it, Les Quatre Cents Coups is for the most part a bleak film. The ending, however, is ambiguous: Antoine reaches the sea, which he had never previously seen, but immediately turns back to the land. Freedom is achieved but is dull, desolate, disorienting. However Antoine has come through his various ordeals and the expression on his face can be read as one of defiance and determination to survive.