The writer was a retired captain in the Royal Navy. The novel is set during the Napoleonic Wars. Easy is the son of foolish parents, who spoiled him. His father regards himself as a philosopher, with a firm belief in the 'rights of man and equality. He believes he was born to inherit his share of the earth. But no one listens to Mr Easy's philosophy.

The women would not acknowledge the rights of men, whom they declared always to be in the wrong. As the gentlemen who visited Mr Easy were all men of property, they could not perceive the advantages of sharing with those who had none. However, they allowed him to discuss the question, while they discussed his port wine. The wine was good, if the arguments were not.By the time he is a teenager Easy has adopted his father's point of view, to the point where he no longer believes in private property.