In many real and imagined totalitarian societies, children live apart from their families. Children live apart from their parents in totalitarian societies because each parent raises their children differently and the leaders of totalitarian societies do not realize that they actually despise this. If we all grew up individually with our parents, they would teach us life lessons differently than other families, this is forbidden in totalitarian societies. The effect it has on the characters in Anthem is that they don't all know who their parents are. It can probably affect how they grow up, knowing they won't, nor will they ever know who their parents are. The dictator most likely thinks that when a child is born and grows up with his parents, he will experience all sorts of emotions such as love, happiness, joy, curiosity and excitement. The dictator may also believe that if they go through emotions, they may also experience madness, anger, resentment, pain and fearlessness and this can ruin this kind of society because people would be able to defend themselves and start rebelling against the power. society and destroy everything the dictator has worked hard for. People would also question the society they live in and learn the purpose of this type of government. Dictatorial leaders would dictate the living arrangements of children who are taken away from their families because these leaders would like to have a powerful country or society. At a young age these children are taken away to learn and prepare for the career they will have in the future, without any choice in the matter. Dictatorial leaders love absolute power and always aim to achieve their goals. In Anthem everyone's career is chosen by the council. The counting... the middle part of the card... limits the possibility of individual mentality. These dictators do not care about the well-being of the citizens of their society and could care less as long as they have as much power as possible. Ayn Rand's short story Anthem shows a totalitarian society that suppresses the ideology of individualism. Within these societies children live apart from their families and grow up without any hereditary characteristics of being an individual person. Anthem is an example of this type of society because it shows the connection between the powers of a totalitarian dictator and the oppression of individualism found in children living apart from their families. Totalitarian dictators enforce the placement of children living apart from their families because it oppresses individualism and allows for a better understanding of beneficial control over society..