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Quote #10
I sat with the average citizens, and on all their bodies, I couldn't help but see "Property of" in raised pink letters. The mark was on everyone, only now could I finally see it. It was the ultimate perversion of the communist dream I'd been taught since childhood. (401)
The Interrogator's interactions with Imposter Ga have helped him lose his delusions about the state and cause a catastrophic break in his current life. Once he learns that the Dear Leader intends to use the huge branding iron to end Ga's life publicly, he finally gets it: all individual lives are owned by the state. There is no right to self-determination or to individual identity. Again, this is Johnson reinforcing the concept that usable story is what matters—not the person. The Interrogator realizes that his idealizing of his work and the purpose of a communist society have led him to the worst kind of dystopian nightmare.