Book excerpt: This book expounds values which the author styles 'patrician'. It is also a critique of distinctively 'plebeian' attitudes. These two terms refer to beliefs and responses which any individual may evince, regardless of social class. The main issues in life are within our own consciousness, not in the external world. Our experiences are fraught with symbolisms, noble and ignoble, which our free imagination can reveal and our choices select, in our endeavours to create a successful human identity.