The Toeplitz-Hausdorff Theorem Explained

Paul Halmos expressed [3, p. 110] the general dissatisfaction with the usual proofs of this famous and important theorem. They all make it seem like an accidental product of a computation. A more conceptual proof was devised by N. P. Dekker. In spite of the elegance of his proof, the one offered below may have some claim to be regarded as "the reason the theorem is true".