John A. Pescud is a successful salesman. He is employed in a plate-glass company. His salary has been raised and he is allowed a commission, with a promise of getting some shares of stock. He has built a house in the East End. He is doing well in life.

Though he denies his romantic temperament, he falls in love at first sight. He follows the girl of his choice for hundreds of miles. He succeeds in convincing her of his sincerity.

He has double standards in life. He criticises the best sellers for being unrealistic and inconsistent as they mix scenes and characters belonging to different backgrounds. In real life, however, he acts like the hero of a romance. Though he is an American travelling salesman, he marries a girl belonging to a family of belted earls. So what he says is contrary to what he practises. His code of living – “to be always decent and right in your home town” – also shows his duplicity. Why should one be decent and right only in his home town, and not elsewhere?

In short, he is a typical American businessman-rich, romantic and hypocrite.