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Babbitt is set in the modern Midwestern city of Zenith. George F. Babbitt, a 46- year-old real estate broker, enjoys all the modern conveniences available to a prosperous middle-class businessman, yet he is dissatisfied with his life. When the novel opens, Babbitt has begun to regularly indulge in fantasies about a fairy girl who makes him feel like a gallant youth. Babbitt's family consists of his three children, Verona, Ted, and Tinka, and his dowdy, …

…to go to college, Babbitt accepts that Ted himself wants to drop out and work as a mechanic. Babbitt explains to his son that he never did anything he wanted to do with his life. Therefore, he urges Ted to resist the heavy pressure to conform to the expectations of others. Babbitt acknowledges that it is too late for him to rebel, but Ted still has a chance to achieve happiness on his own terms.