The novella presents a dystopian future world in which totalitarian collectivism has triumphed to such an extent that the word I has been forgotten and replaced with we.
ðə nɑːvˈɛlə pɹˈɛzənts ɐ dɪstˈoʊpiən fjˈuːtʃɚ wˈɜːld ɪnwˌɪtʃ toʊtˌælᵻtˈɛɹiən kəlˈɛktɪvˌɪzəm hɐz tɹˈaɪʌmft tə sˈʌtʃ ɐn ɛkstˈɛnt ðætðə wˈɜːd aɪ hˈæzbiːn fɚɡˈɑːʔn̩ ænd ɹᵻplˈeɪst wɪð wiː.