Blindly following steps through life in pursuit of upward social mobility is not the right way to live. Ivan Ilyich maintains a surface-level image of success and satisfaction—attends the right school, progresses in his profession, marries well, and raises two children. However, since everything he does for appearances, nothing he achieves ultimately brings him satisfaction in his final days, which are rife with intense pain and suffering.

Ivan Ilyich’s professional life, no matter how meticulously planned or successful, is not enough to satisfy the normal human search for meaning. Living purely by checking off the boxes of social expectation rather than developing emotional connections to his wife and children creates a cold home life. His wife is temporarily pleased with his professional success as it means a higher income for her to enjoy as well, but the couple is entirely unprepared to deal with the traumas of losing three children. They grow apart and develop almost unbridgeable resentment toward each other, with Ivan Ilyich avoiding home completely through work and other distractions. Living only in accordance with society’s expectations does not bring happiness.

Before Ivan Ilyich worried so much about outward success, there “had been more of what was good in life, and more of life itself” (297).