Reading for 2.14 The Miracle Game

"Laura, do you think ideology is stronger than the police?" -Danny
"Man is inclined to evil, right? Well, we're convinced it's the other way around. in primitive societies, man had a powerful sense of the collective, of mutual help. in that way he was good. it was class society that turned him into an evil animal. communism will eventually replicate the relationships in those original societies. it will awaken all those old, original virtues in man." - Laura
page 386

I found this passage very interesting because it gives us insight to what Party members truly believe, if we take Laura to be the face of every Party member. It is interesting to me that the people who have the most "power", the Party members/officials, are the ones who are the most brainwashed, which really makes them powerless. They are powerless because all of their power comes from an outside source, it is not their own individual self-pride that gives them power. This also makes me wonder if they are living in the lie, because they truly believe in what they're supporting. this brings us back to the questions of "what is the truth?" If we take it as fact that the truth can vary from individual to individual, then I would argue that Laura, and Party members that truly support the Party, are living in the truth, their truth.

It is also ironic that Laura and Havel essentially want the same thing - human collective. However, Laura is willing to get that through oppression, forcing people to be a collective, while Havel imagines a human collective of individuals living in the truth but supporting one another's self-respect and individuality.