When Jonas comes to recognize the value innate in every individual, he is horrified that his community leaders can so casually 'release' their members, ending precious human lives. While these traits at first make him uncomfortable, they give him the courage to be different in a more powerful way when he decides to escape from the community.

With his pale eyes and ability to see in color, he stands out in his community.

Young Jonas, however, is different in ways he cannot change. Some conflicts in The Giver include an external conflict between Jonas and his society, an inner conflict of Jonas versus himself, and various external. In Sameness, no one knows the meaning of loneliness, but no one knows true happiness either. Without sex, vanity loses its importance, and competition and conflict are eliminated. Without mirrors, there can be no vanity or jealousy. By celebrating group birthdays, allowing only one kind of clothing and haircut, assigning spouses, jobs, children and names, and eliminating sexual relations, Jonas's society stifles the things that allow for individual differences.

Jonas learns from an early age that both breaking rules and being different is considered shameful. In order to achieve this Sameness, individualism is discouraged, and rules and discipline matter most. Jonas's community is founded on the idea of Sameness-the elimination of difference in its members.

Conflicts within the giver and quotes