With his second novel Elkin established himself as one of the more defiant, socially challenging, writers of his time. A Bad Man takes up the traditional issues of incarceration, life in prison, and justice. The hero, Leo Feldman (critics often note the pun on "felled man"), is a bad man in many ways. He is an irresponsible father, a cruel husband, a manipulative friend, a sadistic employer, and a compulsive entrepreneur. Although guilty of many unethical business practices and several crimes, he is not technically guilty of the crime for which he is imprisoned. The novel thus raises questions about our assumptions concerning guilt and innocence, for Feldman is punished for being who he is, not for a specific crime he has committed. These questions are compounded by Elkin's portraying the prison itself, not as a realistic representation of an actual penal institution, but as an...