Mochtar Lubis, in his reportage-styled novel, Senja di Jakarta, describes various human trickeries, conflicts, and psychology in pursing of power, reputation, material wealth, and sexual desire in Jakarta, the capital of the Indonesian Republic, in the politically, economically, and socially chaotic 1950s. Lubis describes various types of human beings. Husin Limbara, the representative of the Indonesia's ruling party, is establishing patron-client relations with entrepreneurs, journalists, and government officers in order to keep his power, while abandoning the welfare of the destitute. Raden Kaslan dominates the import-export license on the pretext of managing the finance of the ruling party. He also expands his business lines in many fields, and fulfills his own desires. Halim is a cunning journalist, who is more interested in his wealth and reputation by depending on the power of the ruling party rather than digging up the social absurdity. Suryono is an unethical and lost youth, whose only interest is in fulfilling his sexual and material desires. Lubis recognizes the desires for power, material wealth, and sex are the intrinsic instincts of human beings, and thus those are not only the matters of the past, but are repeating in the present and the future.