Bradbury's social and political philosophy has always been humanist, liberal, pacifist, and populist, and the stories in The Martian Chronicles frequently reflect these positions. "Way In the Middle of the Air," for example, relates the disbelief and consternation of a group of white bigots when they discover that all of the local blacks are emigrating to Mars. The bigots are shown to be cruel and, in the final analysis, fashioners of their own fate, shortsighted oppressors who cannot fathom an existence suddenly lacking potential victims. Other stories, such as "There Will Come Soft Rains," contain poignant warnings against the dangers of runaway technology, or the evils of nuclear war.

Several stories, including "The Martian" and "The Off Season," parallel the fate of the native Martians to that of Native Americans. In these stories Bradbury comments on American culture's obsession with material wealth and on the Manifest...