The family had not always been so tired out and overworked. There were days when Mr. Samsa would not have needed to rise for work every morning. Days when Greta could play her violin for her own pleasure, not for the entertainment of guests. This was all thanks to Gregor, working everyday to provide for the family as he slowly paid off the debts of his father. Yet now, without Gregor Samsa’s steady income from his laborious daily assignments, the family must now support themselves. How ironic.Gregor devoted all his time to work. The extremity is not an exaggeration; Gregor’s transformation represents the feeling of being stuck in a routine. Gregor was stuck in time, doomed to work everyday, with no more appreciation or self worth than vermin. He had not the time to bother taking care of himself and his own desires to travel and get out of the routine. Now, the Samsa’s are overworked and tired out, and they do not find the time to care for Gregor more than is needful, although when he was a human he used his entire livelihood to support his family. Whether Gregor works or does not, he never has an opportunity for leisure. He could not find time for himself, and neither could his family find time for him. Gregor’s dream is to travel, to be free of this familial nightmare. The Samsa family is doomed to be tired out and overworked, one way or another.

There is great importance as to whether a translator analyzes Mr. Samsa’s perception of his son Gregor as influenced by either Mr. Samsa's mood or his mental state. The two terms are widely different, yet they have been used interchangeably by translators of Kafka’s original German text. At the end of the first chapter of the novella, Mr. Samsa corners Gregor back into his room with no consideration for Gregor’s well being. He has disassociated Gregor with the creature in front of him. The Muir translation of the text describes the actions of Mr. Samsa as controlled by his "mood." On the other hand, the Johnston translation counters with “Naturally his father, in his present mental state had no idea of opening the other wing of the door a bit to create a suitable passage for Gregor to get through.” Johnston’s diction is more calculating and severe, while Muir implies more of a vacillating figure. Someone's mental state is more of how they think and act and feel on a long term basis. Your mental state has a heavy hand in the way someone approaches the world on a consistent basis. Moods are more subject to constant change. Moods can swing rapidly. The difference, while small, is important because the father is a major character in the novel as to what he represents. Kafka drew much inspiration from his own father when writing Mr. Samsa. Any and every word puts the father in a certain light.