And here i have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. but in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest.

the theme expressed in this paragraph is that

even wise people do foolish things at times.
those who sacrifice for others are great people.
sacrificing one’s most prized possessions is foolish.
wise people are often those with the fewest possessions

The correct answer is those who sacrifice for others are great people.

Explanation:

In literature, theme is defined as the main idea of a text. It does not have to be mentioned directly, since readers can infer it.

In the paragraph, there are several elements that indicate how the speaker appreciates sacrifice when he mentions "the greatest treasures of their house"; even though at the beginning he describes the event as lame, the ending states how great are people who sacrifice by describing them as the wisest.

the word that best matches the meaning of the expression "went to the big ocean" is died.

the goldfish died, which is why the father looks at the children mournfully. the "big ocean" is the father's way of saying fish heaven. he could have just said that the goldfish died, but this way, the children imagine the fish in a bigger, better place instead of just picturing a dead fish.

explanation: