Summary

The short story “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury follows Leonard Mead, a writer who is taking his regular evening walk on the city's empty streets in 2053. 

While Mead is strolling through the streets, he thinks that the houses are like graves because they are only lit by television screens. Mead thinks about the past 10 years and realizes that he has never met anyone during his walks, neither during the day, nor during the night. 

On his way home, Mead is stopped by a police car. It is the only one left in a city where there is no crime because all the residents stay inside watching TV. A voice in the car questions him about his name, occupation, and the reason he is outside. Mead reveals that he is a writer, a useless occupation since nobody buys books anymore. He also tells the police that he is out for some air, that he is not married, and does not have a TV at home. The voice in the car does not understand the man’s reasons for being out and asks him to get inside. As Mead expected, the police car is unmanned. The robotic voice informs him that he is being taken to a psychiatric facility for people with regressive tendencies. 

As the car drives off, it passes Mead’s house, the only one brightly lit. The car ignores his comment about the house and keeps moving through the empty streets.