The unpleasant encounter between the central character and the bus conductor in The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born epitomizes the extent to which corruption has contaminated all sections of society in post-independence Ghana.

Ending colonial rule was supposed to usher in a bright new future for the people of this West African country. But in fact, as this particular episode amply demonstrates, it has simply brought about a system steeped in corruption, bribery, and graft.

At the end of the journey, the bus conductor is counting his takings. But more than that, he's looking to see if anyone has overpaid their fares. If they have, then he'll pocket the difference. Here, we see a prime example of how deeply rooted corruption has become in post-independence Ghana.

The bus conductor thinks he's all alone, but in actual fact, the central character of the book is still on the bus. When the conductor discovers this, he's incredibly embarrassed, believing that he's been caught in the act. At first, he's friendly towards the man, but when he realizes he's been asleep the whole time, he wakes him up and angrily kicks him off the bus. Like so much of the corruption that takes place in this country, the bus conductor's dishonesty goes unseen and unpunished.