The opening sentence on "Anthem" by Ayn Rand is very short yet critically important. What does it do immediately upon reading it? Why is this significant based on the past, present and/or future?

The first line immediately reveals that its writer is breaking the law.... that people have been forbidden to write. Thus, we see that we've been cast into a futuristic world where basic actions are now against the law. We also see in the use of the word "sin", that this society has made its politics a religion. The government is all powerful.