Youth is one of Hesse's major literary themes. (p. 181)

[In his work, there] is one recurring theme, essentially a reiteration of that of Demian, the tortured development of genuine individuality.

According to Hesse, this development, however painful, is the primary responsibility of the adolescent…. "Becoming a personality" means something very specific to the writer, namely, the privilege to feel, act, and think independently of the masses, the obligation to adhere exclusively to the guidance and high demands of one's inner self and the right to encourage the unhampered efflorescence of this self…. The reason why most youths fail to persevere in meeting the challenge of individuation is that they succumb to the strong allure of conformity…. While yielding to mass pressure is one threat to the individual, the opposite extreme, complete withdrawal into a hermetically sealed ego, is, as Hesse implies, equally dangerous. The individual must establish a balance, must find his personal center of gravity between these two forces. (pp. 181-82)

Hesse's "individual" has no desire to impose his will on others. These individuals do not contribute to human betterment … by using humanity as raw material for their autonomous wills, but they contribute by their mere existence….

Hesse's advice to young people regarding the rejection of ready-made, conventional codes cannot be equated with uninhibited license…. Those destined for true individuality are obliged to adhere to very strict moral codes; they merely refuse to accept any codes without close examination. (p. 182)

Another difficulty facing the youth on the road to self-realization is the darkness of the path: he must grope his way forward in the absence of clearly marked signposts to direct him. His ideals can be stated only in imperfect formulations, requiring continued revision. (p. 183)

Self-realization, Hesse believes, has become much more difficult since the first World War than it was before, during his own youth. Earlier generations had many more rules and laws, whether written or unwritten, by which to abide, whether willingly or unwillingly…. This absence of general standards leaves youths suspended in a moral vacuum in which it becomes extremely difficult to maneuver, particularly since their ethical sense is not yet fully developed. While Hesse does not advocate subservience to antiquated standards, he is nevertheless aware of the inherent danger of too much freedom for the immature. It requires a tough moral fibre to make prudent use of this new liberty. Many youths, finding such freedom from general, binding standards too cold and lonely a state, tend to react by escaping from freedom … into some sort of group commitment. Hesse regards such commitment as a grave threat…. While this process involves more of a passive submission on the part of the youth, the group or organization invites his active participation for the sake of a cause and then, according to Hesse, deprives the individual of independent thought and action. He is forced to subordinate his individuality, to a greater or lesser extent, to the collective…. This feature makes them a special hazard for the young, who are subjected to this formative pressure too early in life, before their personalities have crystallized. (p. 184)

Closely allied to Hesse's disdain of group commitment is his passionate rejection of leaders for the young…. This repudiation should not be equated with a rejection of teachers; the acquisition of knowledge from capable teachers poses no threat to the person's independence…. He suggests repeatedly to his correspondents to accept only what they consider useful in his works and in those of others. Unlike Stefan George, he does not believe in the poeta vates and therefore discourages the adolescent propensity to idolize and emulate admired men, such as renowned poets. This tendency is, in fact, another threat to self-realization….

Hesse also warns against common standards of achievement. Since each individual's destiny is unique, its fulfillment cannot be gauged by objective standards; they should instead be subjective, indicating only the extent to which individual potential has been realized. (p. 185)

Lest all this emphasis on subjectivity and individuality be taken as an injunction to megalomania, Hesse warns of the danger of egocentricity…. [Self-realization], which involves some withdrawal from the world into the self, is not equated with total rejection of society. It is merely Hesse's contention that one must first develop individual potential fully (during youth) in order to be of the greatest possible use to humanity as a whole (during adulthood)…. Youth, in short, is conceived of as a training and testing period which determines the person's merit, whether he qualifies for the independent life of adult responsibility. (pp. 185-86)

While the object of maturity and age is a dissolution of the individual and a re-entry into the universal unity of life, from which the individual emerged, the object of youth is the formation of a unique personality, separate and distinct from the cosmic unity of all life. (p. 186)