" Always a Motive" by Dan Ross is a clear reflection of one man's battle to prove his innocence when unfounded accusations are made against him. This story has a pronounced man versus society conflict.

Quite often in life we make hasty decisions based on appearances, misinformation and bias. Ross brings this fact to the surface in this story by immediately bringing our attention to the surroundings with " he hesitated under the blue glow of the mercury streetlight" ("Always a Motive" p.107) and to Joe who " was young and shabbily dressed"(p. 107)

To sit and ponder those two lines brings about ideas of street people milling about after dark. Ross fills his characters with this human flaw of making assumptions as well. The officers questioning Joe are a good example of this.

We see this during Joe's interrogation. The investigator asks " is it true that you lost your six...