Having essentially rejected the unearned privileges he had which he did not understand early in life, Steven Sage degenerated into juvenile delinquency and alcoholism, and generally made a mess of his life. Yet with parental support, he made a complete turnaround and transformed himself and his life for the better.

Experiments in Life details how Sage went from a middle-class life of privilege to teen delinquency, to the young adult life of a ne’er-do-well who was working jobs he hated and to finding himself on the doorstep of a community college. With a family and working 20 to 30 hours a week, he decided to better himself morally and educationally. He ultimately obtained a doctorate degree in psychology and a career as a professor.