Mad Men portrays LGBTQ+ themes primarily through Sal Romano, a closeted gay character whose career is destroyed due to societal homophobia. While his arc is tragic, the show's empathetic and complex depiction critiques the era's prejudice, framing obstacles as external forces and implicitly affirming the worth of queer identity despite the character's suffering.

The show consistently highlights the hypocrisy, social rigidity, and personal repression associated with Christian institutions and cultural norms of the era, often portraying characters' struggles within or against these frameworks without offering significant narrative counterpoints affirming the faith's positive aspects.

Jewish characters are often portrayed with intelligence, integrity, and depth, and their experiences are used to highlight and critique the prevailing antisemitism and social prejudices of the 1960s advertising world.