Captain Beatty was also a character that Montag was able to utilize. Initially, when a reader thinks about Captain Beatty he may seem like he’s just the know it all fire captain who has a fiery passion for burning books. But he is a lot more than that and Montag is quick to recognize that as the plot develops. Montag sees the inner conflict in Beatty and takes advantage of it.
He is able to get Beatty to tell him what their society was so good at withholding, such as; information, things to think about and the truth of how they got there. He also provides Montag with the history of the society that the two currently were living in, and the history of his profession as a firefighter. The History he is made aware of covers why books are banned and how those living in that society lost all the capability to be able to think on their own. All the information Captain Beatty provides, answers countless questions that Montag had, and instead of resolving Montags dilemma at the time, ends up leaving him more disconnected as he does not want things to be the way that had Beatty described. Beatty also gives him permission to keep the book The Hearth and the Salamander for a day before returning it to the Fire Station to be disposed of or in other words terminated. This helps Montag feel a lot better and provides him with more confidence when thinking about keeping books in his everyday life. Beatty also subtly hints to Montag that he himself went through a period of time where he faced the same problems before he was able to come back to work and be content with the profession he pursued. This also makes Montag feel better about his recent breakdown and gives him a chance to think about it with a lot more clarity.
By presenting Montag with all of the information and things to think about, even when done without knowing it, pushed Montag into realizing what his heart truly desired. It also made him realize how unhappy the society was making him. Although it was not Beattys intent it, let Montag discover that he can not continue to keep being who he has been and that he must escape soon. If it was not for Montags ability to realize that he could inherit such vast knowledge from Beatty and use that to his advantage, he would not have been able to use it to help himself escape the oppressive society that he was trapped living in.