Escape to Nowhere

In a dateless future, a seemingly benevolent totalitarian State has eliminated poverty and crime and brought the happiness of conformity to its citizens. Professor Burden believes he too is a loyal citizen, but the Department of Internal Examination discovers that he harbors unconscious doubts about its methods and secretly values his individuality. Horrified at the subtlety of this heresy against the State, an examiner named Lark takes Burden on as a special project. He is convinced he can break Burden of his feelings of individuality and return him to being a normal, productive member of society—by persuasion if possible, but by complete obliteration of his identity, if necessary.