What is the main problem in Fahrenheit 451?

In Fahrenheit 451, the main problem is a society that is distracted from the world's problems by mass media and forbidden from being freethinkers by prohibiting literature and reading for pleasure. 

From the beginning of the novel, the reader is constantly reminded of an impending war and the threat of nuclear annihilation. Early in the first chapter, the narrator describes Montag's fear of these jets that are omnipresent:

"The jet bombers going over, going...

In Fahrenheit 451, the main problem is a society that is distracted from the world's problems by mass media and forbidden from being freethinkers by prohibiting literature and reading for pleasure. 

From the beginning of the novel, the reader is constantly reminded of an impending war and the threat of nuclear annihilation. Early in the first chapter, the narrator describes Montag's fear of these jets that are omnipresent:

"The jet bombers going over, going over, going over, one two, one two, one two, six of them, nine of them, twelve of them, one and one and one and another and another and another, did all the screaming for him. He opened his own mouth and let their shriek come down and out between his bared teeth."

In addition, the narrator introduces the fact that nuclear war is a real possibility as the United States had "started and won two atomic wars since 2022!" Meanwhile, the threats of war pop up often in the book. While sleeping at the firehouse, Montag hears a radio saying, "war may start at any hour..."

However, from the actions of Mildred, Montag's wife, there seems to be no worry about war. Instead, her biggest concern is the installation of a "fourth wall" in their parlor that make it "just like this room wasn’t ours at all, but all kinds of exotic people’s rooms." Mildred spends nearly all her hours in that room watching the televisor and talking to her "family." 

In addition, as Clarisse points out in the book's first few pages, no one notices anything anymore. Instead of looking at the moon or dew on the grass, people are too busy driving in their jet cars to see anything, she says. This inability to look at the world keeps the citizens from paying attention to what is actually happening. The threat of nuclear annihilation was real, but no one seemed to notice.