What is the main conflict in The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil?

The novel is about some important philosophical concepts. One of these is human nature, qualities and character. This includes matters of morality. What is a man without qualities? How is such a man different from a man with qualities? Early in the novel, Ulrich is shown to have a father who has qualities even if he doesn't have qualities. Later, the same concept comes up during a discussion of the murderer, Moosbrugger. This abates for a while and then the concept returns when Ulrich explores what are qualities and can they viewed separately from a given individual?