says, such as marry Dominique Francon, daughter of the owner of the best architecture firm in the country. Her ability to persuade Peter by imposing guilt on him and criticizing his methods of going about things is linked to a weakness in his personality; he really cares about what other people think. In fact, throughout the book it becomes more and more apparent that how others perceive Peter is the basis of his entire existence. Roark, on the other hand, is incapable of placing any value on what others think of him, a character trait he admits to not having. However, the effect this has on his life, if any, is a positive one. Roark's inability to feel any regard for what people think of him is an asset to his character because it alone virtually eliminates the possibility of anyone being capable of damaging his integrity, the one thing that proves to carry him throughout his life. Mrs.Keating makes feeble efforts to persuade Roark to follow Peter's example and basically become a follower. Their conversations are always short lived, as Mrs.Keating has trouble understanding how Roark's brain works and looks at him as a loner. In reality, Mrs.Keating really can't talk to Roark since 3 she can't persuade him to do what she wants by merely stating what she and the general public think of him, since he is one of the few people she has ever encountered that couldn't care less. Instead, Roark questions her motives and ideals as she simultaneously questions his, a quality Roark proves to be notorious for. This difference alone shows Roark's personality advantages over Keating's, where as Keating will conform to mediocrity, if that's what everyone else is doing, and Roark will set new standards for excellence regardless of how vain other people may see his efforts to be. Knowing both character's backgrounds and motives could lead one to believe that Roark would be admired in life for being original and idealistic whereas Keating would be looked...
