In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, a 32-year-old man named Charley who has an IQ of 68 is offered an opportunity to participate in a scientific experiment to increase his intelligence. This involves a surgical technique that has already been successfully performed on a mouse named Algernon. Charley is eager to participate because he wants to become smarter so that people will like him.

The surgery is successful, and Charley's intelligence continues to increase until it reaches a very high level. Charley begins to conduct his own research. He discovers that there is a problem with the theory developed by the two scientists who recruited him and conducted the procedure that made him intelligent and that this error may cause him to lose his intelligence and revert to the low IQ that he had before. His suspicions are confirmed when Algernon gradually reverts to the intelligence level of an ordinary mouse and dies.

The possibility that Charlie does not want to think of is that what happened to Algernon will happen to him. He might lose his enhanced intelligence and become as he was before. In fact, this is what ultimately happens. Charlie's fears come to pass. He reverts to his former level of intelligence but remembers that he was once smart. Since he doesn't want people to pity him, he moves to a state home for the mentally handicapped.