▁class ▁is ▁ultimately ▁just ▁" the ▁character ▁mask ▁of ▁variable ▁capital ", ▁a ▁logical ▁" real ▁category " ▁of ▁Capital . ▁The ▁ident ities ▁of ▁all ▁members ▁of ▁capital ist ▁society , ▁they ▁argued , ▁are ▁ultimately ▁formed ▁as ▁b our ge ois ▁character ▁mask s ▁of ▁self - val or izing ▁value . ▁In ▁that ▁case , ▁people ▁are ▁val ued ▁according ▁to ▁the ▁extent ▁that ▁they ▁can ▁make ▁money ▁for ▁themselves , ▁or ▁for ▁others . ▁ ▁Ž i ž ek ▁S la voj ▁Ž i ž ek ▁also ▁attempts ▁to ▁create ▁a ▁new ▁theory ▁of ▁mask s , ▁by ▁mixing ▁together ▁the ▁philosoph ies ▁of ▁H eg el , ▁Karl ▁Marx ▁and ▁Jacques ▁Lac an ▁with ▁his ▁understanding ▁of ▁fict ional ▁literature ▁and ▁political ▁events . ▁In ▁Ž i ž ek ' s ▁theory , ▁just ▁as ▁an ▁opp ress ive ▁social ▁reality ▁cannot ▁exist ▁and ▁persist ▁without ▁ide ological ▁myst ification , ▁" The ▁mask ▁is ▁not ▁simply ▁hiding ▁the ▁real ▁state ▁of ▁things ; ▁the ▁ide ological ▁dist ort ion ▁is ▁written ▁into ▁[ the ] ▁very ▁ess ence ▁[ of ▁the ▁real ▁state ▁of ▁things ] ." ▁Thus , ▁the ▁mask ▁is ▁a ▁necessary ▁and ▁integral ▁component ▁of ▁an ▁opp ress ive ▁reality , ▁and ▁it ▁is ▁not ▁possible ▁simply ▁to ▁te ar ▁away ▁the ▁mask ▁to ▁reve al ▁the ▁opp ress ive ▁reality ▁under ne ath . ▁ ▁In ▁The ▁sub lime ▁object ▁of ▁ide ology , ▁Ž i ž ek ▁summar izes ▁Peter ▁S lot