he points out that he doesn't know what drives them because they are empty inside. Specifically, when Marlow first met the manager he recounts: "He originated nothing, he could keep the routine going-that's all...Perhaps there was nothing within him."(p.36) When taken out of context it seems that Marlow is hinting that he is just an ordinary man that can outlive the rest of the people there. And that's the point that he tries to get across when he is talking about the Manager and the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims are particularly distasteful to Marlow who sees them only speak of Ivory and commissions. They are obsessed with keeping up a facade of civilization and proper conduct and are motivated entirely by self-interest. "I saw this station, these men strolling aimlessly a
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