Science fiction innovator H. G. Wells held many progressive political and social views, and many of his novels and short stories served as vehicles through which he sought to disseminate his opinions. In The Passionate Friends, which many critics and fans alike regard as one of Wells' best non-science fiction novels, a father passes on some of the wisdom he's gained over the course of his life to his son, much of which has to do with his views on relationships between men and women. In the course of the story, Wells presents readers with a staunchly independent heroine who was decades ahead of her time.