Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which paper catches fire and burns. The main hero—Montag—is a fireman, but the meaning of this profession has long changed. Houses are now built from heat-resistant alloys, and firemen are tasked with burning books. Not specific works by particular authors—banned literature in general— and people who keep and read books commit a crime against the state.
Mindless entertainment, calming pills, exhausting work—these are all a person does.
Tired of such a life, Montag reads his first book.