In 1945, the release of the first two volumes of The Roads to Freedom caused a stir in France, engaging with topics like homosexuality, abortion, and extramarital affairs with an openness that was groundbreaking for its time. Despite the initial controversy, these works garnered significant popularity, rapidly going through several editions in both French and other languages. Over time, both critics and readers began to appreciate Jean-Paul Sartre’s masterful integration of philosophy into narrative fiction, a feat that contributed significantly to his receipt of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964.

The Roads to Freedom has earned its place among the great literary epics, standing alongside Marcel Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past and Honoré de Balzac’s The Human Comedy. Although Sartre never completed the ambitious saga, it remains a seminal work capturing the essence of its era. Originally intended as a trilogy, the scope of the work expanded as Sartre delved deeper into the lives of his characters. "La Derniere chance," initially planned as the final installment, evolved into what would have been the fourth volume. Unfortunately, it was left unfinished at Sartre’s death.

The narrative was poised to explore the intertwining destinies of characters such as Mathieu, Brunet, Odette, Philippe, and Daniel, guiding them towards their individual quests for freedom. This concluding volume was to be set during the tumultuous period of the Nazi Occupation of France. However, Sartre grappled with his depiction of the era, finding the moral choices to be too binary—either resistance or collaboration. In line with his existential philosophy, Sartre was more invested in presenting his readers with complex dilemmas rather than simple resolutions.