R.U.R. ["Rossum's Universal Robots"] is more social satire than sci-fi / horror adventure tale, using a critique of industrial capitalism as the springboard for examining moral choice and its repercussions. There is a nice overlap in subject matter with Smith's [Theory of Moral Sentiments].

Evidently some critics find fault with Act IV's break with the preceding material, arguing it's vapid or lazy in seeking out some unfounded faith in humanity. I found it a deliberate effort to create a formal structure (return to the beginning) and thereby explore political philosophy.

The resonance with (if not outright influence upon) such works as [Metropolis] and other dystopic sci-fi tales is evident.

QUOTES
DOMAIN: The Robots will wash the feet of the beggar and prepare a bed for him in his own house. Nobody will get bread at the price of life and hatred. (27)

ALQUIST: I'm not very fond of progress and these newfangled ideas.
HELENA: Like Emma?
ALQUIST: Yes, like Emma. Has Emma got a prayer book?
HELENA: Yes, a big, thick one.
ALQUIST: And has it got prayers for various occasions? Against thunderstorms? Against illness?
HELENA: Against temptations, against floods --
ALQUIST: And not against progress?
HELENA: I don't think so.
ALQUIST: That's a pity. (47)

HELENA: Doctor, has Radius a soul?
DR. GALL: I don't know. He's got something nasty.

NOTES FROM SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL (Harry Shefter)
'Robot' is derived from the Czech 'robota' meaning "drudgery, servitude, or forced labor".
Similarly, 'Rossum' translates to "Mr. Brain" or "Mr. Intellectual".
Shefter makes the claim that the overall metaphor in R.U.R. is that robots are really men whom technology has dehumanized, thereby justifying the ending. ( )

It's a pioneering work of science fictional drama. It is clear it influenced Eando Binder's I, Robot, and most later science fiction with robots, directly or indirectly. While it's dated by the constant play with the ideas introduced by later works, it's a solid story in its own right, and particularly worthwhile if you have an interest in the history of science fiction.