Interesting aspects…
If we are trying to understand the world in which the novel is held, we can also draw parallels with the move The Matrix. Both protagonists are similar because they feel they don't belong and they search for reality fleeing from it. They are both hackers and earn their living from very doubtful business. However, there are ways of escaping the reality that one doesn't enjoy, and here I would trace a particular point; I would compare drugs in Neuromancer with escaping into the "real" world in The Matrix. Though this might sound ridiculous, I believe they both are quite related, for Case, drugs take him to what he believes and wants to believe is authentic, and the drug Neo wants is to be in control of his life (in reality) so basically they both want the same thing, though they search for it in very different ways. If you want to check out more parallelisms between these two creations you can visit this personal page
http://www.matrix-explained.com/php/viewtopic.php?t=435
,it won't give you much theoretical knowledge on the subject of Cyberpunk or Neuromancer but it's quite an interesting read really. There is also a very interesting predominance of the colour black in both cases, probably because it reflects modernity, if we had to consider a colour as the icon of modern society we would definitely use black. However, I also have some considerations to make in this point, I believe black is also a way to exemplify loss of innocence, the reaching into reality which unveils the ignorance of the past, and also makes us immune to external influences. Though black may seem a sad and mourning colour, it is also known to absorb negative energy (and heat) and is definitely one of the principal physical representations of modern society.
Another very interesting aspect of the novel is the "evil" that seems to dominate Case, being as he is the "anti-hero", this is (in my opinion) a look into the future and a strong intention of the author to separate himself from the past. The modern heroes are usually disturbed by reality, they aren't what they used to be in the past (perfect humans that set the example for the rest of humanity), now they have problems, and basically that is what helps modern audiences identify themselves with these characters (which is what it's all about in the end right?). If you want to know more about the way Neuromancer is an example of what the future will be and the symbolism of the "anti-hero" you can read this short essay that will give you the basics of this theory… It talks about Gibson's use of modern vocabulary, the way he uses a disturbed main character to give more realism and power to the novel, and the way he feeds the happenings through a technology prism that seems to dominate everything that happens in the novel.
http://fb14.uni-mainz.de/program/intro/amst/cyberspc.html
There are also other ways of learning what the book is about and what processes
can be followed to understand the importance of this novel. Again we can draw
parallelisms with the Matrix movie, because basically this is the final consequence
of the idealism that was born with Neuromancer. The ideas and the fear of
the future is a concept that was born long ago, and people seem to discover
it now. That frustrates me a little, because Gibson already used the term
Matrix in his novels, and many people tend to think that this term or this
concept was invented with the movie, and it existed long ago I'm afraid, if
you are a student and you want to discover things like these and read very
interesting comments you can visit class discussion rooms. They are quite
tough to find, but if you dedicate a few hours of your time to find them you
can be surprised with the results. I personally found a Sci-Fi classroom discussion
forum where very interesting opinions are posted, some of them are "crap"
but "you must forgive them because they know not what they are doing
my lord" xD. However, I include the link here so you can enjoy some very
well written opinions about the novel and specially about the parallelisms
drawn with such a famous film.
http://engfor-apeever.barry.edu/scificlass/Discussion/discussion.htm
I would like to warn you about something here before you continue reading. This is not an easy novel, it is quite difficult to understand. And the symbolism that the author includes in almost every sentence can be quite frustrating if you don't take your time to read each page carefully. The plot is also very complicated, it actually complicates itself by the minute really, so be patient. However, difficult novels give better rewards to the reader than easy ones do, if you would like to know the difficulties of the novel and listen to quite a good opinion of someone who knows what he is talking about, follow the next link. There you will be able to see that not everybody finished this book, and that the plot is quite amazing, unfolding as you read, and delivering happenings that initially seem unbelievable but that gradually fit perfectly into the story. I recommend this link if you want to know why people drop Neuromancer.