Jonas notes that he is one of the few community members with light eyes—most of the citizens’ eyes are dark—but no one would dare mention this to him for fear of offending him. To many readers, the idea that such a distinctive feature would be a source of shame is confusing, as many of our societies place value on individuality. In Jonas’s society, however, adherence to the sameness of the community is the highest priority, and so standing out at all is considered an embarrassment.
