Question
Why is it that when a person has Shiva (& days of mourning over immediate family), he leaves his socks on his feet, but takes off his shoes?
Answer
He must only remove his leather shoes. He may wear another form of footwear however. Leather shoes connote the feeling of superiority over all that is in the universe because if we control the animals, then by default we control everything in nature that is beneath them, hence, we control all of nature. A mourner is supposed to feel a sense of loss and lacking, thus he is required to remove the leather from his feet.