The overarching theme of "Miss Brill", I think, is that getting old hurts. Why does getting old hurt? Because the habits of tidings past have carried on to the present moment- and when your that elderly- old enough to think you're the cat's meow when you dawn on "fur"- it hurts, bad, to have those personal traditions belittled, berated, or put-down. Miss Brill has been accustomed to people watching and clothes critiquing for most of her life. She sees herself as on outside viewer- a third person- in the reality of the world and in her vanity, she forgets to make friends or have social interactions.
I'll make some interesting commentary now on the nature of vanity and why it appeals to certain types of peoples: vanity kills charity. When one is caught up in themselves, thinking about how great they are- "reveling in one's excellence" [ is how a priest I know describes it], being self absorbed and generally egocentric- it is painfully difficult to think about others. This is why vain people find it hard to care about others.
I think this is also why Miss Brill has no friends. She's so in-to-herself that her "introspection" is a mere surface level gazing at her own reflection in the mirror (with her fur!). This thinking projects itself onto others when Miss Brill is people watching.
And so, when Miss Brill's reality is shattered, when she realizes that she really is as old as her un-make-uped skin proclaims she is and that her "fur" really doesn't make her all that and a bag of cookies, her earth seems to shift beneath her feet. What she has become used to- these vain habits of thought- is now uncovered for what it really is- vapid and worthless. It's not a surprise that as she puts away her fur (for probably the last time) she begins to cry.
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