Equality shows that purpose is a reason to live. He shows that purpose is a reason to live by following his heart in terms of getting free from his society.
Equality believes that his purpose is to free himself and discover the other wonders of the world that have not been discovered since the Unmentionable Times. When he discovers the light, he realizes that it can fix everything, like in this quote. ''We can give our brothers a new light, cleaner and brighter than any they have ever known.'' (Rand 60) His light makes him want to live, because it is something that will change the world. It is his discovery alone and not his brothers'. He figures out that he could be doing better things than sweeping in the streets. ''Our discovery is too great for us to waste our time in sweeping the streets.'' (Rand 60) Equality doesn't want to sweep, because the light is more important and purposeful. In his opinion and some others, sweeping is the lowest job ever in the society.
Equality is excited about the light, since he believes that it could solve many things like they could have electric lights instead of candles, they could use a computer instead of hand-writing all those manuscripts. He wants to tell all the Councils, he even wants to tell the whole world about his amazing discovery! ''We shall confess everything to them.'' (Rand 61) If it had gone right, he probably would have told the Council everything, from how he discovered it to how he found his secret hideout with International. He wants to tell the world so he will be recognized for his actions in discovering something new. When he is being lashed, he will never give up his secret as to where he's been. ''We thought of our glass box and of our light and we forgot all else.'' (Rand 63) Even when he was being lashed to death, he would not give up the