Ray Bradbury’s short story "The Pedestrian" contains many examples of cause and effect that demonstrate a bleak dystopian future.

The most prominent example of cause and effect drives the short story’s plot. Protagonist Leonard Mead enjoys taking a stroll each evening on desolate streets in the year 2053.

Sometimes he would walk for hours and miles and return only at midnight to his house. And on his way, he would see the cottages and homes with their dark windows.

Leonard has the audacity to leave his house while everyone else stays at home to watch their “vision screens” or futuristic televisions. His bold act—walking outside, exploring for hours—is the cause of his fate (aka effect): being arrested by the police and taken into custody.

Just as he returns from his wanderings and approaches his home, a police car with a "metallic" voice stops him.

"What are you doing out?"

"Walking," said Leonard Mead. "Walking!"
"Just walking," he said simply, but his face felt cold.
"Walking, just walking, walking?"

"Yes, sir."
"Walking where? For what?"
"Walking for air. Walking to see."

Walking simply for the sake of exercise, fresh air, and exploration is a crime. The disembodied voice continues to interrogate Leonard.

"Just walking, Mr. Mead?"
"Yes."

"But you haven't explained for what purpose."

"I explained; for air, and to see, and just to walk."

"Have you done this often?"
"Every night for years."
The police car sat in the center of the street with its radio throat faintly humming. "Well, Mr. Mead," it said.

"Is that all?" he asked politely.

"Yes," said the voice. "Here." There was a sigh, a pop. The back door of the police car sprang wide. "Get in."

"Wait a minute, I haven't done anything!"

"Get in."

The story ends with him being hauled off to the Psychiatric Center for Research on Regressive Tendencies. His behavior is considered aberrant and backwards; all curiosity and life seem to have been stamped out of people in society. Instead of sitting at home watching his vision screen, Leonard is acting subversive and criminal by walking around freely and for no sanctioned purpose.

In the story under the umbrella of this overall cause and effect are other smaller examples of cause and effect. One cause is the people’s obedience. The effect is a cemetery-like neighborhood. As Leonard ambles along, the scene is

not unequal to walking through a graveyard where only the faintest glimmers of firefly light appeared in flickers behind the windows. Sudden gray phantoms seemed to manifest upon inner room walls where a curtain was still undrawn against the night, or there were whisperings and murmurs where a window in a tomb-like building was still open.

The authoritarian regime has caused people to become zombies. They cast shadows resembling "phantoms" trapped in "tomb-like" houses. Any speech amongst them is eerie and ghostly.