Ellison uses the excerpt from Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" to serve as an introduction to his story. The subjects that Thoreau explored in his essay are a preview of what is to come in "Repent Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman." These subjects include the relationship between the individual man and the system that he belongs to, specifically the government or state, and the types of men of which the system is comprised. For example, Thoreau asserts, and Ellison surely agrees with him, that there are men who serve the state as physical laborers. These are the men who build the roads, buildings, and infrastructure, as well as manufacture the goods that a viable society needs. The second type of man serves the state through his intellect. These men form the laws that a government needs to function and manage the laborers. Finally, there is a third, rarer...