Paul's feelings of alienation arise from the limitations he perceives are placed upon him. His father, who is primarily concerned with business, disapproves of Paul's passions. He permits Paul to work as an usher solely because he believes "a boy ought to be earning a little." Paul resorts to deceit to visit the theater, suggesting that if his father were aware of his true intentions, he would have stopped Paul from going. Upon reaching the theater, Paul experiences a sense of freedom, feeling "like a prisoner set free." Ultimately, he is completely cut off from his cultural activities, which he interprets as a chance to escape and pursue the life he truly desires. When Paul learns that his father is on his way to New York to take him back to Pittsburgh, a situation he considers "worse than jail," he decides that death is his only way to free himself from such constraints.