Struggling artists in Theft

I'm having a hard time finding more in Theft than gender relations and everything else we've already talked about so I'll just aim low at something minor. Once again for Porter, in this story we see a string of struggling artists depicted rather unfavorably. First, we have Roger: presumably a painter of some kind whose gallery showing is mentioned. Roger tells the protagonist that "nothing has sold yet" at his show but that he means "to keep right on the way that I'm going and they can take it or leave it." The implication here seems to be that Roger thinks his work is not selling because people don't understand/appreciate what he is doing, that it could not possibly be that his art is simply not so good. This is an interesting phenomenon that I encounter often enough myself: 'artists' who have no audience so far but still imagine a relationship with one. "It's absolutely a matter of holding out," the woman tells Roger, as if his nonexistent audience is pushing him to cater to some elusive tastes.

The next struggling artist encountered in Theft is Bill, the playwright. Bill is upset because a director has canceled his play. He is offended by this, out of what seems to be some sense of being 'owed' praise or attention. Bill lives beyond his means, owing money to an ex-wife, a Victrola, a piano and the protagonist herself. Perhaps he is counting on profits from plays yet to be written or produced, in a way trying to live out the character of an extravagant, successful artist. Then of course we have the woman, who is mentioned as writing some scenes with Bill.

I think, in this story, Porter portrays (non successful) artists as whiners and social climbers with delusions of grandeur, who live in poverty, but with an implied assumption that they will one day be recognized. Maybe not, I'm just reaching for something to say really but if anyone else has something to add to this feel free.