Nossack's major narrative 'The Control Panel', first published in 1956 in the volume 'Spirale', is one of the most radical texts addressing the question of adaptation and freedom in Germany. It depicts the nighttime conversation between two young men who fundamentally misunderstand each other. Following a spontaneous decision, one of them has just dropped out of university and left the fraternity to break free from the overpowering influences of his background. The other, his former fraternity brother, who has developed a sophisticated system of anticipatory adaptation, is completely taken aback by this move, leading him to believe that the first has even more elaborate strategies for social calculation and tactical behavior. In doing so, he fails to recognize that his colleague was not trying to create an 'image' of himself, but that his decision was a genuine one.