Even while Anna becomes a worthy helpmeet for Vronsky, advancing his interests with her own efforts, he still feels his freedom restricted. His desire to be responsible only to himself, not to her, reflects his basic irresponsibility.
The election proceedings, seen as frivolous through Levin's eyes, underscore Tolstoy's anarchic demand that human beings must seek personal meaning first. Working for the public good is merely an avoidance on the part of political adepts like Koznyshev to face the basic problem of self-fulfillment.
