set in the near future of America in a Midwestern Town Fahrenheit 451 tells the story of fireman guy mon who proudly Burns illegal books and the homes of the books owners however as threat of atomic destruction looms over his town he begins to question the value of his profession throughout the novel mon struggles with his existence and is placed in an oppressive society in which censorship is the the norm Monte's resistance grows stronger after developing a friendship with a 17-year-old neighbor Clarice mclen she is curious about the world and rejects the technology on which it now depends including the frequency of gun violence and speeding cars soon Monte realizes he is unhappy and no longer loves his wife Mildred who refuses to Face Reality the antithesis of Clarice mild immerses herself in interactive television and seashell radio and is addicted to tranquilizers one night Monte comes home to find that Mildred has overdosed on sleeping pills the paramedics ared to pump Mildred's stomach and give her a complete transfusion with various technological instruments the Medics explain nonchalantly that they perform these same procedures many times each night and that overdoses are free quent the next morning Mildred robotically goes about her daily routine not recalling the previous night's episode and refusing to discuss it frustrated with a society that seems unconcerned about an impending atomic war Monte wonders why books are perceived to be so dangerous and why some people are so loyal to them what power lies in books driven by an increasing unease and curios iOS it Mont steals a book from a collection he is sent to destroy at the scene of the burning he is shaken when the owner of the books an older woman refuses to leave her home instead she sets fire to her kerosene soaked house and is herself destroyed by the Flames witnessing the woman's dedication to her ideals Monte wonders if happiness can be found in the Forbidden literature he is required to burn Monte returns home feeling ill as he relives the woman's horrific death in his mind over the past 10 years he had thought he was serving society as a fireman but now he realizes he is an instrument of Destruction that night in a discussion with Mildred Mont learns that his friend Clarice was killed by a speeding car more than a week earlier he falls asleep feeling sicker with his stolen book hidden beneath his pillow the next day Monte refuses to attend work claiming illness his boss Captain batty visits him and appears to be aware of Monte's internal struggle he suspects that Monte may be hiding books batty lectures him about the offensiveness of books and the superiority of their current Society where homogeneity is mandated stories are deluded and political narratives are reduced to a simple sound bite distributed by mass media he dismisses their former society which encouraged free thought and differing opinions meanwhile Mildred organizes the bedroom and tries to pull away Mon's pillow when he won't let her she reaches beneath it and finds The Hidden book Mildred is astonished but keeps silent when batty departs Monte retrieves some 20 books that he has stolen over the years and begins to read unsure as what to do next he recalls meeting a retired Professor Faber a year earlier and discussing with him the value of ideas he visits Faber who at first fears that he will be the fireman's next victim however as the two men grow to trust one another Faber becomes a mentor to Monte showing insights and conspiring with him to make copies of Monte's books Faber gives Monte a a small two-way radio of his own invention to insert into his ear so that the two men will always be in communication at home mon becomes disgusted with his wife and her friends as they sit idly watching television and gossiping they lack any awareness of the impending atomic war as Faber's objections stream through the secret radio in Monte's ear Monte engages the women in a debate about family and politics next he reads to them from a book of poetry Mildred's friends react emotionally to the reading not understanding the source of their Sadness the firemen are called to an alarm and Monte is dismayed to discover that it is his own house that is to be burned his wife Mildred reported him he then burns his home and possessions by himself room by room as ordered by batty batty ched Mon and as the two men scuffle Faber's radio is knocked from his ear when batty remarks that both Mon and his friend will be dealt with severely montake threatens batty with the flamethrower when batty keeps at it montake flips the switch and kills his boss at once the mechanical Hound a computerized attack dog that can track down any human being by scent pursues mon the Hound stabs him in the leg with a procaine needle but Monte annihilates it with the flamethrower before it can do more damage Faber provides refuge for Monte as both a second mechanical hound and the authorities pursue him Faber provides him with old clothes to mask his scent and thus impede the Hound then fa directs Mont to go to the river and Float Downstream to the train tracks where he will hopefully find a hobo Camp of intellectual Outlaws who can help him Monte departs then floats down the river successfully avoiding the Hound he finds the group of former Riders clergymen and academics by the riverbank the leader of the group an author named Granger welcomes mon offering him a concoction to change his pH in order to throw the Hound off his scent the men then use a portable television to watch the police chase incited by Mon's Escape they are shocked to see that the Hound has killed another man as the announcer proclaims m T is dead the police not wanting to lose the confidence of the public had set the Hound after an innocent man after losing Mont scent Granger tells mon how the men in his Camp have memorized literary works so that someday when it is safe to do so they can again print books recreating them from memory when atomic bombs destroy the city the men are able to survive in their Wilderness Camp then set out to sift through the rubble of the destroyed town and begin a new they plan to foster a society where books and free thought can flourish