An Enemy of the People provides an ideal starting point for Tore Hansen´s illustrations due to its clear conflict situations and its somewhat caricaturised gallery of characters. Hansen was intrigued by the field of caricature early on, and had considered pursuing a career as a newspaper artist.

When Hansen paints the crowd he presents them in the form of stylised heads that are reminiscent of potatoes. Is this an association to the Norwegian expression "as stupid as a potato" or is it merely a group of smooth stones we see at the bottom of a lake? Hansen´s simple pictures do not restrain the imagination.