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It is suggested by Conrad, throughout the novel, Lord Jim, that Jim suffers a hell like existence on account of his sense of isolation. He is cut off from his companions and mates. Now the problem arises why is he cut off inwardly from others? Stein regards Jim as a romantic and Chester says that Jim is excessively sensitive who take everything to his heart and he is good for nothing. Brierly observes Jim as too much possessed with the tragedy of 'Patna'. He is like the mariner of Coleridge's 'Ancient Mariner' who was perpetually haunted by the sense of guilt for having killed Albatross without any reasonable cause. He killed superstition that she was the cause of the sultry weather, the cessation of the favorable wind and ship's state of being marooned in the midst of the ocean in the torrid zone which brought death for all the crew members due to their intense thirst which they were not able to satisfy because of the salty water all around.
Just as Coleridge suggested in 'Ancient Mariner' that we should love the great and small creatures also because God has created everything, Conrad believed that nobody can live in absolute isolation from the companions or no one can Read all his years of life in happiness without cooperating with each other because family or society is the need of man. Being a social animal and living together, a man must identify his suffering and happiness with those of his fellow beings, otherwise he will suffer and perish altogether as happened with Jim. But, is isolation the root cause of Jim's sufferings? Does he suffer in Patusan also where he identifies himself with the pains, sorrows and happiness of everybody and becomes the virtual king there? The answer is 'yes'. He suffers to the extent of yielding his life and thus becomes free from all the mortal chains of this world. Few critics say that man suffers more is isolation than being in the society. And so it happened with Jim.