Inspired by an actual terrorist attack on Greenwich Laboratory in 1894 âThe Secret Agentâ is arguably Conradâs greatest work Mr Verloc, the spy, is roused to action by his masters. He is to instigate an act âof destructive ferocity so absurd as to be incomprehensible, inexplicable, almost unthinkable; in fact, mad. All does not run smoothly however and leads to Mr Verlocâs wife, Winnie, demonstrating how quickly rational equilibrium can change to frenzied destruction. Setting his story in a subterranean grimy London peopled by deceptive, dishonourable characters, Conrad not only reminds us of the futility of mindless aggression but also of how near it is to the surface of human behaviour.