On the surface, everything is all right with Babbitt's world of the solid, successful businessman. But in reality, George F. Babbit is a lonely, middle-aged man. He doesn't understand his family, has an unsuccessful attempt at an affair, and is almost financially ruined when he dares to voice sympathy for some striking workers. Babbitt finds his only safety lies deep in the fold of those who play it safe. He is a man who has added a new word to our language: a "Babbitt," meaning someone who conforms unthinkingly, a sheep.