In Robert Silverberg's, "The World Inside," he presents a dystopian society in the year 2381 that hails the procreation of human life as the prominent goal of life. Silverberg introduces towers called "urban monads" (urbmons) as living areas that where tens of millions of people peacefully co-exist and share all their personal belongings. This imaginary world advocates total sexual freedom and encourages people to "night-walk" as sexual maturity begins as early as 12, and families are formed at 14. .
Due to the lack of scarcity for essential goods and partners, citizens of the Urbmons are expected to have a satisfied life, neglecting people's desires for wanderlust or travel where it is seen as heresy to think otherwise. Therefore, due to the standards of the Urbmon, this dystopian society attempts to expunge all notions of individuality, privacy, or trust in order to create a stable and mindless civilization with an absence of inherent human passion. .
Silverberg introduces the character, Siegmund Kluver, as one of the up and coming individuals of Urbmon 116, destined to become one of the leaders. From the young age of 15, Siegmund is illustrated as embodying much potential as he quickly rises through the ranks and resides in the tier next to the administrative elites. Though Siegmund exhibits ambition and promise, he realizes that he will lead a purposeless life unless he is selected to become a leader of the Urbmons where he will have the authority to govern and create a difference. Ironically, however, the only ones who become elites (through selection from upper ranks) are those who do not desire to govern, but instead merely to reside in a governing position. As a result, nothing ever changes within the Urbmons and policies remain stagnant since the selected elites are individuals who most exemplify the Urbmon's most cherished ideals, being void of human virtues.
