Robinson felt a strong desire to go to sea, even though both his parents were against this idea. One day, his father called him into his room. He told Robinson that going to sea was for desperate people, or wealthy people seeking adventures, and that Robinson was middle class. His father told him that the "middle station" was the best position in life, free from both the anxieties that come with privilege and power and the problems of poverty.
隻有窮得鋌而走險的人或雄心勃勃又富有資財的人，才去海外冒險 去幹出一番出人頭地的大事業，去以非同尋常的作為顯身揚名。社會地位在中間的人是世界上最幸福的人，既不像勞力者那樣，得去經曆無數的艱辛困苦。也不像所謂的人上人那樣，受驕奢，野心和嫉妒所累。
