Part 4, Chapter 14
Ellsworth visits Peter, who is hiding from the newspapers, and asks him to tell him the whole story so he can land Roark in jail. Peter tries not to give in to him, but eventually gives him the crumpled contract he and Roark signed together. For one moment Ellsworth wants to burn the piece of paper, but says that tomorrow he will give it to the district attorney. He tells Peter that what he's always wanted is power; he has never denied it, no matter how many people weren't able to hear what he was saying.
He wants to rule the world. He outlines his ways of doing this: make man feel small; kill man's sense of values; don't let men be happy; and kill anyone who cannot be made to feel small, to lose his sense of values, or to be made unhappy. He says that collectivism is the best governing system; without any sense of self, people will have to serve. When he is finished talking, Peter doesn't know what to do except ask him to stay. Ellsworth laughs; this demonstrates his point.
Topic Tracking: Collectivism 11
Topic Tracking: Collectivism 12
View More Summaries on The Fountainhead
