It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone" (17). Equality 7-2521 was born into a society where to talk about yourself is a crime. To think of oneself instead of others was sinful, and to try and be different from others was cruelly punishable. To have the forbidden word was, well, forbidden. To even say it was like touching burnt coal. Ego. .
Equality 7-2521 was taught to believe that "we are one in all in all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever" (19), or in other words, everyone is one in the same and to be egotistical was sinful. Equality 7-2521 understood that his need to ask questions and his thirst for knowledge was sinful, but as he expanded his knowledge and pushed against the Council of Elders he grew to realize that his sins may actually not be as sinful as he previously thought. In my personal opinion, I believe that Equality 7-2521's eventual realization that egotism, and to think and better oneself is not what one would call sin is, for the lack of a better word, correct. My belief stems from my growing up in a social setting that encourages others to do the best they can and reach for the stars, or chase our dreams and become our own personas. One cannot improve oneself when they cannot think or be themself. A person cannot expect someone to be at their best when they are forced to shut away who they are in order to be who said person expects them to be. People strive when they are given options, choices, and to take away that diversity is to take away what essentially is the meaning of life: to personalize it and live it the best you can. .
Equality 7-2521 and his peers were not given the gift of choice. They were expected to do what they were told by the Council of Elders and not to show any sign of resistance.