The imperfect society depicted in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Scientific advances throughout this century have led to enormous advances in industry. Advances in industry, however, have not always led to improvements in life. For some, society has created mass wealth and enabled a standard of living unmatched throughout history. For Willy Loman, society has created only enormous suffering and hardship, compounded by the endless promise of good times to come. For these reasons, Willy's tragedy is due more to the flaws of society than to the numerous flaws of his character. Willy Loman had many flaws and shortcomings ranging from suicidal tendencies to psychotic disorders. However, these flaws did not explain his tragic end, at least not by themselves. It's the company's fault. It was society that stripped him of his dignity, piece by piece. It was society that robbed him of his lifestyle, and his own children who robbed him of hope. Society's most obvious flaw is greed, the desire to outdo others. This disease is present nationwide. It is the philosophy of business and contains man's dreams. Sometimes this can lead man to great things, sometimes it can lead him to ruin. Willy was taken to the latter. (Not because of his greed because he was a simple man with simple dreams, but because of the greed of others.) The developers who took away the sun and brought the shadows to life, his boss who reduced him to commission and his children who reduced him to a failure. Society's second greatest flaw is its lack of compassion. This could be the result of almost overwhelming greed, the main culprit of which is big business. I'm always in the running with the landfill! I just finished paying for the car and it's on its last legs. The refrigerator wears out 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 a toilet. It is this flaw that allowed him to die slowly and played the largest role in his eventual downfall. The third greatest flaw in society (particularly American society) is the lack of a social safety net..