When Montag wonders why books are so important, Faber offers his opinion of three things that reading does for people. In terms of books, both the physical objects and the content are missing. Faber does not believe that the other media that are widely available provide the same opportunities as reading does. He tells Montag that books provide the quality and texture of a vast range of information. People not only need this variety but also require the time to digest it; true leisure, Faber says, allows the brain to process information and make new connections.
The third missing aspect is acting based on one’s own knowledge and convictions. Because people are receiving so much pre-processed information, they have lost the ability to work through the implications on their own. Reading books thus encourages critical thinking and ethical behavior.
Obviously, the society in Fahrenheit 451 is missing books, but it's more than that. In a time when they have been inundated with passive and digestible media and their lives have been filled with activity as their minds are numbed by drugs, the world is lacking insight and introspection. This is a direct result of three main things that Faber says the world needs to recover.
First, it needs quality of information. Every type of media the people enjoy is senseless and not thought provoking, like the family room full of media screens that immerses Montag's wife in the petty squabbles of an imaginary community.
Second, it needs leisure to digest the information. The people's days are filled with dull and senseless activity, and therefore they can't spend time learning.
Finally, the society needs the right to act on what they learn by engaging in the first two activities. They are so heavily restricted and their lives guided that they have no freedom to pursue arts or improve themselves and their community with altruistic actions.
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