Although there are multiple characters spread throughout the story the one that made a number of reappearances was, philosopher, Pangloss. His main takeaway of society was that all that happens is for a reason, as he stated, “... for as all things have been created
for some end, they must necessarily be created for the best end...”(Voltaire 1). This ideology would overlook all the bad that occurs because the good is destined to follow. Furthermore, there was a belief that humans lived in the “best possible world.” However, this logic does not apply to the society they were apart of due to the high volume of war, rape, and greed. For example, “If this is the best of all possible worlds, what are the others?...”(Voltaire 14). This was stated after Pangloss and Candide were punished for speaking against the Bulgarians. The consequences included torturous methods like flogging, beatings, and hanging in pangloss’ case.
Additionally, Voltaire reminded the audience seemingly after every mishap throughout the novel that optimism is key. “It is impossible for things not the be where they are, because everything is for the best”(Voltaire 35).