The family environment is the field of conflict in Ioannis Gabriel Borkman. And while the urban dream of material prosperity and social advancement is being pursued, at the core of the drama is recognized the fundamental existential questioning: the position of the individual - and especially of the "exceptional" - within society.
"I smell the imprisoned millions; I feel their metallic veins, their outstretched hands, branches alike, reaching towards me... But now, I want to whisper to you, in the silence of the night. I love you! You!, who are half-dead in the dark depths! I love you, thirsting riches for life... along with all your brilliant entourage of power and authority! I love you, I love you!"