Chesterton's second novel chronicles a hot dispute between two Scotsmen, a Roman Catholic and an atheist, whose fanatically held opinions inspire a host of comic adventures. The story's allegorical levels vigorously explore the debate between theism and atheism. Indeed, the book is a celebration of Chesterton's own debates with Robert Peel Glanville Blatchford, a popular journalist of the time who criticized the Bible and espoused atheistic socialism.