Augustine’s conversion played a very significant role in his life. It shaped him and his thoughts, especially towards doing God’s work. When he was not conversed yet, his sins and guilt made him feel uncomfortable. As he said in the beginning of Book (VIII) thus before he was conversed, (Thus I was sick at heart and in torment, accusing myself with a new intensity of bitterness, twisting and turning in my chain in the hope that it might be utterly broken! For what held me was small thing, but it still held me). Referring to this piece of his writing, it can be inferred that his guilt and sin was holding him back, also, he did mention “chain” which could also mean setbacks, limitations in progress and infirmities in his life that holding him
