The Time Machine

A time traveler voyages in to the future and finds a society of "playboy" humans. They seem to spend all day eating fruit and engaging in leisure activities. They also don't seem to do any work and the men and women seem to look a lot alike. Only later does he discover that humanity has apparently diverged into two different species, the decedents of the leisure class that he first met and the underground progeny of the working class.

In the end, he escapes and makes a side trip to see the end of the earth before returning back to tell his story. Later, he makes additional trips, never to be seen again.

The danger of the further separation of the working and leisure classes is obviously one of the principle goals here. Also, he regularly brings up the necessity of conflict and challenges to serve up advancement in society. Attempts to eliminate all pain and difficulty in society will also lead to the elimination of positive innovation. Instead, pent up desires will become a liability as society gradually denigrates. Wells does a good job of using science fiction to criticize problems in his current society.