We Lesson Plan

What is the significance of D-503’s increasing inability to distinguish dreams from reality?

D-503's difficulty separating truth from fiction is a result of his growing disassociation from the propaganda that he once firmly believed in. As this propaganda breaks down, the social reality that it underpinned also breaks down, making D-503 feel unable to orient himself and increasingly unsure of his identity. Some students may also note that, as a result of this process, D-503 increasingly ends up on the wrong side of the One State's normative boundaries, and must spend much of his time explaining how he is "sick" to others.

Consider D-503’s momentary doubt about whether...