Nilson is introduced in the opening sentence within the context of social relationships and reputation: he is “well known in the City” (Paragraph 1). This first impression suggests (though wrongly, as it turns out) that he is a social being with easy and frequent interactions with others. In reality, Nilson is ill at ease in human company and constantly doubts what he says and does, worrying about how he appears and whether he is conforming to social conventions. He seems most content when by himself. He moves through his dressing room and downstairs to his dining room without encountering another soul. As he steps outdoors, he thinks about the pleasure of being by himself on that fresh spring morning and enjoying the natural world as a personal possession.

The theme of Social Separation and Alienation intensifies when Nilson recognizes Tandram standing next to him. He is taken aback, feeling that his private sanctuary has been violated. Immediately, the narrator says, he “ceased to smile, and looked furtively at the stranger” (Paragraph 6). Given the third-person limited narration, the reader can infer that the term “stranger” reflects Nilson’s judgment: he feels “estranged” from this man, even though he turns out to be his neighbor.