An imperfect society depicted in Arthur Miller's Death of a SalesmanThe advances in science throughout this century have led to enormous progress in the industry. However, advancements in industry have not always led to advancements in life. For some, society has created massive wealth and enabled a standard of living unprecedented throughout history. For Willy Loman, society has created nothing but enormous heartache and hardship, compounded by the endless promise of good times to come. For these reasons, Willy's tragedy is due more to the faults of society than to the many faults of his own character. Willy Loman was host to many faults and deficiencies ranging from suicidal tendencies to psychotic disorders. However, these flaws do not explain his tragic end, at least not on their own. Society is to blame. It was society that stripped him of his dignity, piece by piece. It was society that stripped him of his lifestyle, and his own sons who robbed him of all hope. The most obvious fault in society is greed, the desire to get ahead of others. This evil is present at the national level. It is the philosophy of business and includes the dreams of man. Sometimes it can lead man to great things, sometimes it can lead him to ruin. Willy was taken to the latter. (Not by his own greed because he was a simple man with simple dreams, but by the greed of others.) The promoters who took away the sunshine and gave birth to the shadows, his boss who reduced him to commission and his sons who reduced him to failure. The second greatest flaw in society is the lack of compassion. This could be the result of almost overwhelming greed, with the main culprit being big business. I'm still in a race with the breakage! I just finished paying off the car and it is in its final stages. The refrigerator consumes belts like a damn maniac. They time these things. (Act 2, page 73, lines 16-19) Willy's belief in this statement led him to believe that big business lacked compassion. This is why he is abandoned by Biff and disowned by Happy, left babbling in the toilet. It was this flaw that allowed him to die slowly and played the greatest role in his eventual downfall. The third greatest flaw in society (especially American society) is the lack of a social safety net..