The protagonist lives a life of solitude, detached from love or companionship, and feels stripped of his ability to voice his thoughts. Beneath this isolation, he grapples with deep-seated anger and dreams of societal upheaval. His existence is shrouded in absurdity, leading him to confront and resolve the conflicts that have plagued him, including those related to faith and political ideologies.

This journey away from his anguished past comes at a cost, as he transitions from one set of existential dilemmas to another. While he finds liberation from traditional beliefs and institutions, he becomes afflicted by a new sense of emptiness and fear. Mahfouz captures the struggle of a man wrestling with his identity amidst a world of contradictions, highlighting the complex nature of freedom and the burdens it can entail.