Bartleby, el escribiente

A young man is hired at a Wall Street notary's office in New York City at the dawn of a "new world," bureaucratized and capitalist. His name is Bartleby. Tasked with copying legal documents, he demonstrates admirable efficiency, and his energy is so contagious that it inspires his colleagues to give their best. One day, everything changes. His boss asks him to proofread some documents —a normal, routine task, though unrelated to the purpose for which he was hired— and he replies politely but firmly: "I would prefer not to." Little by little, Bartleby declines every proposition, every offer of help, even the final exhortation to leave his job, repeating those few words, "I would prefer not to," like a mantra...