Candide is the story of a boy who lived in a world with little or no problems and how his entire perspective of the world changed when he was placed in the real world and forced to face conflict that he had never faced before. His guardian, Pangloss, taught him Leibnizian optimism, but you can see this mentality slowly deteriorate over the course of the tale. Candide lived in a castle with his illegitimate uncle, a German baron; the baron's daughter, Cunedonde; Pangloss, the guardian; and some other family members. When Candide falls in love with Candide and kisses her as a result, he is thrown out of the castle by the baron. He is then captured and conscripted into the Bulgarian army where he is whipped, nearly executed, and witnesses and participates in two major battles. Candide escapes from the army and goes to Holland where he meets and is welcomed by an Anabaptist named Jacques. After living for a while in Holland, Candide meets Pangloss on the street, who is now a deformed beggar. Pangloss tells Candide that he contracted syphilis from the maid of the baronial castle and that the baron and his father...