“It made you feel very small, very lost, and yet it was not altogether depressing, that feeling.” (75)

Marlow is initially portrayed by Conrad as an extension of the Company, making both very concerned with appearances and notoriety. However, Marlow transgresses from this in his apparent appreciation of the chance to feel alone and insignificant. This marks a major shift in Marlow’s character, as he begins to separate himself from the Ivory-crazed men he captains, instead becoming more concerned with the people he encounters and his attempts not to eradicate them than wiping out everyone who stands in his way of making money.