As Montag learns the truth about his society, the theme that without the ability to think freely, ignorance takes over is revealed. At the beginning of the story, Montag is speaking with Clarisse and she mentions the school system. Clarisse explains, “‘We never ask questions, or at least most don’t; they just run the answers at you, bing, bing, bing’” (27). Clarisse implies that the school system is bad due to the fact that kids do not ask questions. Without asking questions, kids are ignorant of other possibilities. The messed up school system curriculum stays with the kids when they grow up, which leads to ignorant and blind adults in their society. Next, when Mildred invites her friends over, Montag reads some poetry. One of Mildred’s friends, …show more content…
‘Come on, let's be cheery, you turn the ‘family’ on, now’” (97). People like Mildred and her friends are brainwashed to think that books and poetry are bad and depressing. The ‘family’ and the parlor walls are an escape from reality and are also mind numbing, which restricts knowledge. Then, when Montag is talking with Faber, Faber narrates a story about his past. When Faber “was younger I shoved my ignorance into people’s faces. They beat me with sticks. By the time I was forty, my blunt instrument had been honed to a fine cutting point for me. If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you’ll never learn’” (100). People are not accustomed to asking questions, so when someone does, people think they are odd. Everybody in the society hides their thoughts and as a result, is ignorant of their surroundings. Knowledge is limited because they can't ask questions, and when they do, they are penalized. Finally, when Captain Beatty and the other firemen show up to Montag’s house because he has books hidden, Beatty gives a speech to Montag. Beatty exclaims, “‘Give a man a few lines of verse and he thinks he’s the Lord of all Creation. You think you can walk on water with your