The tension in Being There springs from the difference between how things and people appear and the reality beneath the surface. Chance’s entire personality consists of his love of gardening and television. People fail to recognize his limitations because he can mimic proper social behavior and looks similar to those around him—he is white and wealthy. He looks like a member of the elite, despite obvious clues that he is not.

Kosiński uses Chance to satirize the ruling class. Their desire to elevate Chance to celebrity status and accept him as one of their own creates the comedic situations and misunderstandings in the narrative. They choose not to look below the surface; like Chance, they prefer the curated images of television to the complexities of real people. The difference between Chance and the other characters is that Chance lacks the ability to connect with people beyond a surface level, while the others choose not to. They interact with each other on the same shallow level with which they interact with Chance, using political and economic jargon to replace meaningful interaction.

Privately, there is more authenticity than in the public realm. Rand and EE genuinely care for each other and for Chance.