A Book for Ernest is set in an Orwellian/Huxleyan environment where human value is determined by the shallowest of metaphysical categories. As the protagonist - a prisoner to both his cell and his ethos - awaits his voluntary execution, he encounters an unlikely soulmate who challenges his popular yet disturbing convictions. When this dark but thought-provoking novella climaxes in an unprecedented act of self-denial, the reader is left pondering two questions: is happiness best measured by pleasure, and.who cares anyways?.