How is the society in the book responsible for the current rules on time?

The society in “’Repent, Harlequin!’ said the Ticktockman” is a society in which the members of that society have sacrificed personal liberty for order and timeliness. The story is representative of the constant tension between being able to do as one wishes and adhering to the rules of society for the collective benefit of all the members of society.

Humans are group animals. We depend on group structure for survival. The rules of any given group of humans exist to redirect our individualist tendencies (i.e. survival goals) toward group benefit. The story “’Repent, Harlequin!’ said the Ticktockman” shows us a world in which a society has taken this to the extreme.

Given the structured nature of the society, any disruption to the schedule on an individual level has a ripple effect on the society as a whole. All activities by members of the Ticktockman’s society are intended to be for the benefit of the collective; therefore, any activities that interfere with the orderliness of the society directly impact the survival of the offending individual via the loss of time from the individual’s life. The rules against disrupting others and not wasting time are thus an aspect of this nearly total subversion of the individual’s survival for the benefit of the collective.