What does William begin to dream or imagine as a result of meeting new people, seeing new places and furthering his education?

The power of dreams is the narrative's overall thematic interest. As the author himself comments several times and in several ways, most notably in the book's conclusion at the end of Chapter 15, his success is grounded in several important elements. As the narrative portrays them, these include having a particular dream, believing passionately in it, acting on that belief, refusing to let obstacles deter you from taking further action and, perhaps most importantly, continuing to expand the dream beyond the boundaries of what was originally conceived and/or longed for. All these elements are clearly at work in William's life and experience, his success in following his dreams inspiring him to further dreams and to encourage others, through the writing of this book and through furthering his education, to build on and follow their own (see "Style - Perspective"). Further - the eventual success of his personal project, and how both that success and that project provided a springboard for even greater success and larger projects, prove both the value of his personal dreams and the thematic message associated with the narrative of how he made those dreams a reality. Meanwhile, it's important to note that William's dreams, and the actions he takes to fulfill them, are not the only manifestations of this theme. As discussed throughout this analysis, there are several other examples - the determination of William's father and mother to meet each other and the determination of William's sister Annie to break rules, leave her family, and marry both manifest and evoke this theme.