“He was just a word for me. I did not see a man in the name any more than you do.” (64)

Despite working and living in such a close environment with other men aboard his steamer, Marlow is still detached from society. He avoids closeness with those he comes in immediate contact with and is blatant about his disregard for those he doesn’t know. While Conrad depicts Marlow as generally idealistic, not realizing exactly what the Company aims to do until he experiences it first hand, it this mistrust also speaks to his more sinister side, much like his habit of eavesdropping on the conversations of others.