Many themes were presented throughout The Death of a Salesman. The first being about Willy's warped sense of the American Dream and his continual belief that being well liked was the most important path to being successful. His unrealistic thoughts and dreams for him and his family made it impossible for them to hold a normal place in society. His constant lies throughout his life about how successful he was and other parts led to the eventual downfall of not only him but his family too. The central conflict of the story was between Willy and his eldest son Biff, who was very popular and successful in his young years but because of the values Willy instilled in him failed in life. By flashing back in Willy's life through memories, the author shows us how Willy taught his sons that things such as luck, likability, and high dreams are more important than things such as hard work and expertise. Another theme throughout the book is abandonment, as Willy was abandoned as a child by his father and older brother and in the end ironically Willy abandons his family inspired by love. The tragedy of his death is because of his inability to distinguish between how other people see him as an economic resource or as a human being. He abandons his family because he believes that wealth is more important than having a father or husband and that contributes to the fact that Willy had the wrong values.