In any society there is always pressured to conform, to behave like those around you. Sometimes it can be difficult to stand alone, to follow your own path whether that's by choice or force of circumstance. These stories are all about people who are slightly out of step with the world around them. Such people as:
A young woman who thinks she is stupid but develops self-confidence when someone believes in her. A scientist who is convinced that the world is headed for a total flood, so begins building an Ark in his back garden. A retired headmistress who refuses to be bullied by other residents in her apartment block. A 90-year-old lady who defies developers, ignores a compulsory purchase order and refuses to leave her home.
These people, and those in the other stories, may not think of it in these terms but they are all marching to the beat of a different drum.
