Wilhelm’s grandfather has amassed a large collection of artworks and a vast library. Growing up surrounded by these artworks leaves a lasting impression on young Wilhelm. He becomes “deeply immersed” in the books, while the effect of the artworks is evidenced by the fact that he discusses individual pieces with people he meets on his journey years later. Yet this large collection of artworks is sold by Wilhelm’s father. The sale of the collection symbolizes the generational divide between Wilhelm and his father, which centers on The Tension Between Artistic Aspiration and Bourgeois Responsibility. The sale of the artworks is a significant moment in the narrative of Wilhelm’s life; having developed a love of art and theater, he responds to the sudden absence of art from his home by concluding that his future lies elsewhere. He goes out into the world partly to fill the emotional void left behind by the sale, and his journey is about chasing the intellectual stimulation that he once experienced in his grandfather’s library.

In the world beyond his family home, however, Wilhelm is made to realize that most artistry is built on a foundation of financial interest. Just as his father sells his grandfather’s collection to raise money for business ventures, Wilhelm meets many people to whom art is just a means of making money. In the small theater troupe, for example, Melina is constantly haggling with prospective patrons; he’s initially only interested in Wilhelm because he can offer financial backing and has little concern for Wilhelm’s ideas about the theater. Later, when reunited with his friend Serlo, Wilhelm learns that Serlo shares more in common with Melina than he does with Wilhelm. Though Serlo can discuss the intricacies of Shakespeare, his primary interest is in making money. He’s happy to cast aside artistry to cater to his audience, so much so that Wilhelm must argue and advocate for much of Hamlet to be left in place. Their haggling over the production of the play represents the tension between artistic ambition and financial reality. That Melina and Serlo later go into business together suggests that Wilhelm’s artistic ambitions are disposable for these men, whose appreciation of art is starkly different from Wilhelm’s own.

Later in the novel, Wilhelm enters a house only to encounter his grandfather’s collection. The reunion feels to him like a vindication of “destiny,” telling him that he has arrived in a place that matches his own sensibilities. Yet he’s also able to measure the changes in himself against the collection. The paintings that once spoke to him now speak to him less, revealing to Wilhelm that he’s a changed person, someone whose artistic imagination has been widened by his experiences. The reunion with his grandfather’s artworks also suggests that Wilhelm has entered a world where art and the business of everyday life coexist, resolving the tension that has plagued him since he set off on his journey.