Project Gutenberg 2009-11-07 Public domain in the USA. 146 Dryfoos, Dave 1915 2003 Dryfoos, David M. Freas, Kelly 1922 2005 Freas, Frank Kelly Waste Not, Want Produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction September 1954. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Waste Not, Want" by Dave Dryfoos is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. The book explores themes of consumption and societal expectations, set in a dystopian future where personal choice and individuality are sacrificed for the sake of consumption and economic stability. The narrative follows an elderly mechanical engineer, Fred Lubway, as he grapples with the pressures of a consumerist society that mandates he utilize every resource available, even after the loss of his life partner, Tillie. The story centers on Fred’s struggle against a mechanical and emotionless world that enforces strict consumption habits through the intervention of what are referred to as "ration-cops." After coping with the grief of losing Tillie, Fred is forced to adapt to the demands of a society that values productivity and consumption over personal happiness or contentment. His frustration builds as he confronts the absurdity of his existence: constantly producing technology just to be required to consume it and facing penalties for underconsumption. The narrative culminates in a confrontation with authority as the ration-cops attempt to "correct" Fred’s dissatisfaction through brain surgery, symbolizing the ultimate loss of personal autonomy in a society that prioritizes economic output over individual well-being. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 75.4 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 42282 2025-08-12T11:57:48.274917 text/html 18285 2024-10-24T20:31:00 text/html 287811 2025-08-12T11:57:53.359860 application/epub+zip 286142 2025-08-12T11:57:51.094874 application/epub+zip 82711 2025-08-12T11:57:49.934897 application/epub+zip 447873 2025-08-12T11:57:54.952090 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 440427 2025-08-12T11:57:52.606865 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 164778 2022-09-14T06:13:20.986190 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 35464 2025-08-12T11:57:47.997903 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 15711 2024-10-24T20:31:00 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17294 2025-08-12T11:57:55.102877 application/rdf+xml 14534 2025-08-12T11:57:50.428868 image/jpeg 3735 2025-08-12T11:57:50.178874 image/jpeg 288513 2025-08-12T11:57:48.289897 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia