In Ayn Rand's book, Anthem, Egoism played an extremely big part but wasn't revealed until the end of the book. Ego means "lacking in ones own interests" meaning that you don't do what you like to do and don't have your own feelings. During the book everyone who was living in the society was lacking an ego. When people lack egos they don't have their own personalities and they act as robots. None of the people actually had their own names. The actions of all the students in the society wasn't in the will of their own, that the beneficiaries of their actions was others and not theirs which it should have been. Equality 7-2521 was a perfect example of someone who was egoistic. He lived for himself and not others. None of the other students or teachers controlled him, his thoughts, or his feelings. He was a happy student who never sacrificed himself to anyone. His actions were exactly what the leaders wanted to rid the students of. The leaders did not want t he kids to have any ambition or passion for something. They didn't want the children to love any women or talk to any of them. All in all they didn't want the students to be happy or have goals in life. Early in the book he shows how they wanted to control society and everyone in it when he says "The laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so."(Rand 11) During the story no one was able to make up their own minds or do what they wanted to do in life. The leaders in the different Councils controlled everything. The society was not a true society where people have the free will to do what they want in life and strive for a certain job. All of the kids are "living dead", always obeying orders, doing as they are told, and not thinking for themselves. Finally, in the end Equality decides that he can not live like this anymore and that he must think for himself so he runs away into the Enchanted forest where no one will ...