Themes

One obvious theme is Conrad's interest in the types of people who become involved in terrorism, described in the group of anarchists and revolutionaries who cluster around Verloc. In general, they are unsympathetic people who feel dispossessed of their heritage or suffer from frustrating mediocre lives. Verloc, the central figure in the group, is an example of a cynical man without political convictions who finds espionage and discussions of anarchy a useful way to make a living. The Professor is obsessed by a single idea; Ossipon is a predator who preys mainly on women, using political discussion and agitation as a mask. At the same time, Conrad avoids oversimplifying matters, for he shows that Verloc is indeed a pawn of a foreign power (he is given orders by an agent at the Russian embassy), and the British police, although well aware of the existence of fringe groups, find...