Equality 7-2521 can be thought of as the Thomas Edison of his age, the man who discovers how to employ the power of electricity to generate light. But the conditions under which Equality 7-2521 conducts his research are vastly more difficult. He must sneak around, concealing his precious work as though it were was a guilty secret. He has only three hours at night for his studies, after working all day as a Street Sweeper. He crouches alone in a dimly- lit, ill-equipped tunnel. He forages and steals what supplies he can. He has nobody with whom to brainstorm and discuss his ideas. He receives no moral support from his society — only its opposite, the threat of punishment and death if caught. In short, the harsh conditions under which Equality 7-2521 carries out his work underscore an important truth regarding innovators: they They are motivated solely by their love of the work.
Equality 7-2521 loves science. He burns with passion to study it and understand nature's nature's secrets. Researchers and inventors follow their own vision, their own truth. Equality 7-2521 is pleased that his electric light will benefit society, but society's gain is not the primary motivating factor of his work. Rather, his own personal values impel him, the importance that he — alone among the members of this society — places on this creative work. Ayn Rand shows that creative work is personal, not social. When personal values are extirpated from an individual's life, he or she cannot engage in creative work.
