Three of the characters depicted in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 illustrate the damaging effects of tyrannical governments on their citizens. The first one is Montag's wife, Mildred, who loses herself in television and never supports her husband. The second character is Faber who was once an English professor and is now living in poor conditions with illegal books. The last person illustrating effects of tyrannical governments is Captain Beatty, a captain of the fire department who has much hatred towards books and those who read.
The point that Ray Bradbury was trying to point out in Fahrenheit 451 is that the entertainment business shapes a lifestyle with too much stimulation. This standard of living can cause people to lose focus and become lazy. This is well exhibited in the character Mildred. All Mildred does is sit in the parlor watching her magnificent wall to wall television and listen to her seashell radio contraption. She uses this as a void from the troubles she has in her life, such as her suicidal attempt. Because of her couch-potato attitude, it is causing her marriage with Montag to drastically fall apart. On many occasions, Montag has commented that his bedroom seems very empty even with Mildred sleeping on the bed. This shows that Mildred is not being the loving wife she should be for her heart is empty for him. If the government had not made the public seem like the only point in life is having fun than having social interaction, Montag and Mildred's marriage would not be in such a crisis. The couple could be having laughs, talking in deep conversations, and making each other feel loved rather than giving one another the silent treatment. .
Another character that was greatly affected by the government was Faber. Faber was once a successful English professor until the government decided books were illegal because certain stories "offended" certain readers. Now he lives in a rundown dwelling in poverty.