This story has a very simple message. We have literally a limitless amount of time and we are always running out of it. We are slaves to the school bell and the time card and if we don't go by the rules and schedules that we have in place, everything falls apart. If everyone was always late, our society would collapse. In the book a man who goes by the name of "Harlequin" to hide his identity as he goes out to create chaos for the common good. Everyone is a slave to the "Tick-Tock Man" who controls everyone with time. If people are late too often they are simply killed off as inefficient machines. Harlequin successfully slows people down, keeps them late to stop and enjoy life while they can in spite of the Tick-Tock Man. He even pours a billion jellybeans on top of construction workers to make them a little happier in their society where the only thing that matters is Order and Equality. This story can also be considered a euphemism on why Communism sucks.