Conrad believed anarchism to be the philosophy of those with a "[w]arm heart and weak head," but he admits to being, at least during the writing of the book, "an extreme revolutionist," and it is this rigorous attention to putting himself in an otherwise unsympathetic character's place which led to the truths the character utters.

In point of fact, Conrad is never describing true anarchism in his books and stories on the subject. His anarchists are always socialists or communists, and as we now know, neither system can ever be truly anarchistic because both require coercion backed by force in order to get people to behave in ways counter to their desires and best interests. He compares anarchists to red republicans and socialist reformers, neither of which bears any resemblance to the true anarchist, who may not agress to impose views or make points by force.