ANSWER: Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is set in the African Congo, where white Europeans have gone to reap the treasures of Africa and ‘civilize’ the natives there. However, instead of the “delightful mystery” (59) Charlie Marlow, the novel’s protagonist, expected, he finds himself in a land where the lack of a strong, united government has caused the men to revert back to a life that is “nasty, brutish, and short” (Hobbes)--one of the core ideas explored in the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. In Heart of Darkness, although Conrad depicts human nature as self-preserving as well as the need of a sovereign to maintain peace, just as Hobbes believed, he also highlights how devastating it can be to the human soul.
Hope this helps!
Have a good day! :))