On the surface, Mead has committed the crime of walking for the sake of walking. In this repressed society, citizens are discouraged or maybe even forbidden from walking or leaving their homes at night. The impression is that there is a universal curfew. That is, people must be in their homes by a certain time every night. This is strikingly similar to a prison lifestyle. So, Mead is simply out when he is supposed to...
On the surface, Mead has committed the crime of walking for the sake of walking. In this repressed society, citizens are discouraged or maybe even forbidden from walking or leaving their homes at night. The impression is that there is a universal curfew. That is, people must be in their homes by a certain time every night. This is strikingly similar to a prison lifestyle. So, Mead is simply out when he is supposed to be inside. An obedient citizen should be inside, watching thoughtless television shows.
But it is not just that Mead is out when he should be in. His seemingly innocuous habit of walking at night actually threatens the authorities. His habit is a direct challenge to their authority. There is only one police car because crime is nearly extinct. To keep crime at this low level, the police want no one on the streets. This story suggests that the total elimination of crime comes at the expense of individual and social freedom.
If everyone is basically a prisoner in his/her own home, no crimes will be committed. The catch is that no one is free to do as he/she pleases. Leonard has committed no real crime (from the logical reader's perspective). But within the context of this story, he has threatened authorities with his nightly habit of temporarily escaping from his cell (home).
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