[1] His surviving work is the Ephesian Tale of Anthia and Habrocomes, otherwise known as the Ephesiaka one of the earliest novels as well as one of the sources for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Unable to confess their love to each other, the two enter a depressive state, until their families, after consulting an oracle who tells them of a troublesome future, arrange for their marriage and for them to be sent to Egypt for their safety.
Aspyrtos discovers that his daughter was in love with Habrocomes, and frees him from his servitude, hiring him to manage his house.
The Ephesian Tale of Anthia and Habrocomes was a satirical writing on the philosophy of stoicism, particularly the stoic view on slavery.
Habrocomes is then left to deal with his stoic philosophic ideals of accepting fate, and apatheticity towards outside factors enacting on oneself.