“it is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see... there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone.” what does rand mean by this?

Equality 7-2521 begins Anthem with a confession of wrongdoing. Individuality of mind and thought are forbidden. We quickly see the dystopia here. Equality laments that one cannot be free to be alone in both a literal and metaphorical sense. This society is one of forced conformity to a collective that happens to be rooted in ignorance and fear.