 What has conditioning done to the characters?
But ever since the engines somewhere in the rear of the world had changed their tone, from the steady whining Rikud had heard all twenty-five years of his life, to the sullen roar that came to his ears now, the feelings had grown. But something soft had cushioned the impact—something which had come into being just for the moment and then abruptly passed into non-being again, something which was as impalpable as air. The people had decided that they did not know where they were going, or why, and that it was unfair that the elders alone had this authority. Now if the world had walked from—somewhere, through the vast star-speckled darkness and to the great garden outside, this also was purposeful.
 It has become a way of life for them. Without the buzzer, their life as they know it ceases to exist.
 It has kept them in shape, both mentally and physically,  and ready to face the struggles they encounter.  Nothing.  They were left to their own devices for so long that they abandoned any notion.  It has made them fear one another.  It has become a way of life for them. Without the buzzer, their life as they know it ceases to exist.