Free time and wealth come at an immense price. In Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis (1915), the miserable family unit translates their suffering into anger as they are increasingly suffocated by poverty. Gregor Samsa, the main character who transforms into a vague but vile creature, witnesses a cold desertion as he becomes the dead weight of the family and shows no sign of recovery. As an archetype of warmth, security, and love, "family" takes on the opposite meaning as the Samsas take full advantage of Gregor's filial obligation, thus bringing to light the underlying evils of self-interest. Financial security is subsequently destroyed following Gregor's fantastic affliction, capturing the pitiful desire to be supported royally without problems. Kafka's humorously macabre tale traces the social avoidance of the common man who descends into disability in order to expose the evils of the new age family corrupted by capitalism, the fundamental darkness of human nature, and the polarity between goodness and man. Gregor's terrible judgment from his The family is created primarily to stop the rapid descent into the abyss of poverty. Much like the ancient paradigm of catering to the rich and famous, capitalist ideals proportionately construe being poor as the ultimate misfortune. Capitalism teaches the perverse ideal that being poor indicates a lack of intelligence and ambition when, in reality, it is very difficult to earn money. “[The Samsas] did absolutely everything the world expects of the poor, Gregor's father brought breakfast to the bank clerks, his mother sacrificed herself by washing clothes for strangers, his sister ran back and forth behind the desk at the behest of the customers, but they no longer had the strength to do more” (172). Poor p... middle of paper... against his glass, he held it firmly and it felt good on his warm belly” (161). Gregor's deformity allows him to awaken his sensuality, something he was not capable of as a man. Gregor's metamorphosis is to accept that connecting spiritually with others is full of futility because humans are undoubtedly evil. '''And now?' Gregor wondered, looking around in the darkness. He soon found that he could no longer move at all… he felt relatively comfortable… He remained in this state of vacant and peaceful reflection until the tower clock struck three in the morning” (187). His new form is the channel that frees him from a life of misery and abandonment. By becoming a human parasite, Gregor's metamorphosis instead allows him to become spiritually complete. Despite losing his family, Gregor is finally at peace when he completely abandons his desire to be human again.