What are the real reasons behind the council rejecting Equality?

As Equality 7-2521 noted in the other Street Sweepers, collectivism's tenants engender fear instead of happiness as the main emotion, but while his coworkers fear the state, the Council of the Scholars are near the top of the hierarchy and fear nothing more than an active individual. They make a multitude of excuses to reject the glass box, but they recognize its efficacy and more importantly recognize the danger to their society in the possibility of rewarding Equality 7-2521. In their view, they cannot be seen to encourage free thought. At the same time, by rebuffing him, they miss a crucial opportunity to assimilate a potential radical, and Equality 7-2521 consequently sunders his remaining ties to the City.