What are the motifs in The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius, Ramanujan by Robert Kanigel?

The nature of Genius is the recurring idea in the story. Related to the role of education and the value of creativity is the nature of genius. There is no real and accepted understanding of exactly what it means for someone to be a genius but thinkers who are generally considered geniuses, Ramanujan, Einstein, Newton, Hume and others do have certain characteristics in common. One seems to be an unusual amount of creativity in their work. Geniuses are not typically merely those who extend and continue the work of others, but rather those who strike out on their own to pursue avenues of inquiry that have either been neglected by others or that seem to have failed.