One can infer from the text that the elders are rooting for a standardised community that is quite strange. This is presented through the constant rules that the elders place according to ages instead of development rates. Here️, the theme of individuality vs. Society takes place; where the elders push for the whole society to be the same. For example, “the children all received their bicycles at nine; they were not allowed to ride bicycles before then”then.” In the previous quote, the children are all being given the same instructions regardless of their development rate of whether they can learn to ride a bike at a younger or older age. Furthermore, Thethe themes of freedom and choice are joined with the themes of individuality vs. Society, Wherewhere a lacking of choice is given to the parents to raise their kids. Lilly’s mother says, “when you’re an Eight, your comfort object will be taken away”; this gives the parents no freedom to choose how they want to help their kids adapt to being comfortable, unless it’s within the elder’s rules. In addition, the system of grouping people according to their age, like “Eights“Eights”, “Nines””, “Elevens”, and “Twelves” further encourages the idea of how the elders are trying to standardise the society and value groups instead of individuality.