Mood refers to the emotions the story evokes in the reader. When Harrison Bergeron appears on television and destroys his handicaps, readers begin to feel hopeful that someone in the society will be able to excel. When he and the beautiful ballerina "reeled, whirled, swiveled, flounced, capered, gamboled, and spun," readers enjoy the liberating movements, and as they rise to the ceiling, the mood becomes light and joyful. But when Diana Moon Glampers shoots them and they fall, dead, to the floor, the mood sinks as well.

One of the indications that the mood now becomes darker is that the "Bergerons' television tube burned out." This suggests the extinguishing of hope that readers previously felt.

Second, when George returns to Hazel, he notices she has been crying. She says she has seen "something real sad on television." Thinking about a mother watching the murder of her own son on live TV causes readers to feel sad. The fact that she cannot even figure out what happened and that she is unable to explain it to George, so he remains in the dark, is perhaps even sadder. The story ends with George wincing at the sound of a riveting gun in his handicap ear radio. He should be wincing and reacting to the death of his son, but instead all his normal thoughts or emotions are stolen from him by his government. The reader is left with a very dark and pessimistic mood toward the Bergerons' society.