Quiet Desperation

In reality, how we act or how we are comes with consequences. However, if we are like Gregor or do not appreciate life like Gregor, we will not turn into a bug or anything close to. Kafka is making a point in his story how this character, Gregor, does not appreciate life and is not anything out of the ordinary man. Therefore, he becomes something plain, boring and almost "nothing" which is exactly how he came across. In Kafka's story, he is making that exact point. Because Gregor does not want to appreciate life and does not have self respect, he turns into a bug (having no need to appreciate life and no self respect). Towards the end, Gregor gets ignored and not paid any attention to. Gregor lived a life of "quiet desperation". Thoreau's quote explains why some people in the world today get ignored and eventually lead to no lives.