Theodore Dreiser's "Free, and Other Stories" is a collection of short fiction that explores the bleak and deterministic world of the marginalized and downtrodden. Dreiser's naturalistic philosophy is evident in these stories, as characters struggle against an indifferent universe that seems to offer them no hope for a fulfilling life. The stories often depict the harsh realities of poverty, alienation, and social injustice in urban America. Dreiser's characters are often trapped in a cycle of despair and hopelessness, and their fates are often tragic and inevitable.