". (535-6) Freddie/ Bill enjoyed both roles, but he obviously could never combine the two because it was against the "norms" of society. Furthermore, Freddie Drummond began to support the ideas of Bill Totts in regards to the fight for labor unions, which also was a conflict of interest.
Conformity becomes an issue for both Daisy Miller and Freddie Drummond because of their unwillingness to fulfill the expectations of society. Throughout the story, James" characters make references towards their social status and their efforts to improve their place in society, however Daisy does not share the same feelings. Daisy is not concerned with pleasing Old Europe; rather she is interested in fulfilling her own expectations and standards. The same holds true in Freddie's situation because he eventually learns to grow out of his conservative self, one who cares about society's perceptions of him and begins to feel comfortable in his own skin.
In both works, the characters are frowned upon for stepping outside the realm of society's criteria. For Daisy, her flirting and promiscuity were viewed as unwarranted acts. She was courting more than one man, which broke an unwritten law of the times. However, Bill was supporting an issue (labor unions) that would have been against the views of his previous social status as Freddie. As Freddie's new role grows on him, he was released into the wild to experience new ideas and environments, which furthers his dilemma of finding his place in society. Freddie's new identity gave him a sense of freedom that could never be achieved through his "real" life as a sociology professor. .
The relationships encountered in both works play a large role in the fate of the characters. Daisy's relationship with Winterbourne becomes rocky because his uncertainties of whom she really is as a person. He is not sure if she is just a flirt or whether she is actually innocent.