Like its author, the hero of the book, Simon Tanner, is consumed by an unrestrained desire for freedom and views the world and people with complete innocence, not with a "narrowed, cluttered mind." This leads him into the most curious conflicts with the world of conventions, with the conformists, those compromised by career and competition. Through his naivety, he provokes them and simultaneously shames them for what they have lost: imagination, humor, common sense, and material integrity.