Set in the 24th century, Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of the protagonist, Guy Montag. At first, Montag revels in his profession as a firefighter, burning illegally possessed books and their owners' homes. However, Montag soon begins to question the value of his profession and, consequently, his life. Throughout the novel Montag struggles with his existence, eventually escaping his oppressive and censored society and joining an underground network of intellectuals. With his new friends, Montag witnesses the atomic destruction of his former city and dedicates himself to rebuilding a literate and cultural society. Early in the novel, Montag develops a friendship with his seventeen-year-old neighbor, Clarisse McClellan, whose humanistic outlook and inquisitive nature pushes Montag to examine his life. He soon realizes that he is unhappy and no longer loves his wife Millie. Meanwhile, Millie is unwilling to face reality and instead chooses to immerse herself in interactive television, shell radio, and tranquilizer addiction. Dissatisfied with his occupation and discontent with a society indifferent to news of impending atomic war, Montag begins to question the ways of the world. Specifically, Montag questions why books are perceived as so dangerous and why some people are so loyal to them. What power lies in books? Driven by his growing discomfort, Montag steals a book from a collection that he has been sent to burn. At the scene of the fire, Montag is shaken when the owner of the books, an elderly woman, refuses to leave her house. Instead, the woman sets fire to her kerosene-soaked house and remains there as it and her are destroyed by the flames. The woman's dedication to her books makes Montag realize that perhaps the happiness he lacks can be found in books. After the fire, Montag returns home, feeling sick as he relives the woman's horrible death. He begins to realize that although for the past ten years he thought he was serving society as a firefighter, in reality he was purely an instrument of destruction. That night, in an argument with Millie, Montag discovers that his friend Clarisse was killed by a speeding car more than a week earlier. After hearing this news, Montag feels even worse. That night he falls asleep with the stolen book hidden under his pillow. The next day, Montag refuses to go to work, claiming to be sick. His boss, Captain Beatty, visits Montag that morning and seems to be somewhat aware of the internal struggle Montag is going through and that Montag may own some books..