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On the surface, the moral of the book is simple: be a complete bastard, treat all the women you meet like dirt and exploit them as much as possible, and you'll be a stunning success. The author stays deadpan thoughout; it's impossible to tell for sure whether he's being ironic, though one strongly suspects he is. Fans of the Flashman series will probably enjoy this too.

Isaiah's comment highlighted for me why the book is so fascinating. Most people don't want to admit to themselves how important the connection is between sex and power, but Maupassant puts it center stage. Another work that does the same thing is the musical Evita. I was reminded of the chorus from "Goodnight and thank you", a duet between Eva and Ché:

There is no one, no one at all
Never has been, and never will be a lover
Male or female
Who hasn't an eye on
In fact they rely on
Tricks they can try on
Their partner
They're hoping their lover will help them or keep them
Support them, promote them, don't blame them
You're the same