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DISCUSSION: Dr. Irving Harrison suggested that the essential difference between the daydreamer and the artist is that the former follows the pleasure principle and creates two-dimensional figures, while the latter gives the characters identities (with coherence, histories, and conflicts), and also creates a cosmos. Each in turn reveals the artist's identity. Dr. Harrison stated that the power of the world created by Conrad rests on his portrayal of the primal mysterious forces which he believed impelled and ultimately disposed of man.
Dr. Bernard Meyer described Conrad's several careers, his multiple identities, and his need in later years for collaborators. He emphasized the role of the destructive woman in Conrad's writings, as well as the confusion concerning sexual differences. These characteristics suggest that Conrad was driven by the fantasy of a blissful reunion with the mother and that his image of himself was a fragment of her.
Dr. Phyllis Greenacre discussed the distortions, creating a type of family romance, which often appear in the biographies of artists. This may be suggested in Conrad's description of himself as a lonely man aboard ship, writing in secret. Conrad's guilt in connection with his parents' deaths may have interfered with his creativity, limiting him to autobiographical expression. In this respect, Dr. Joseph's thesis that Conrad was driven by unconscious pressure to harmonize disparate elements in his character is apparent.