Ayn Rand propagated her philosophy of objectivism through her book The Fountainhead, and Howard Roark, the hero of the novel, is seen as a personification of her ideals. The idea that selfishness is a vice is refuted and altruism is seen as a ploy to reduce humanity to collective mediocrity. The essential difference between the heroes and the villains in the novel is that, unlike the villains, the heroes possess themselves. esteem; for this reason they maintain their individuality and do not degenerate into becoming invisible in the sea of ​​humanity. They place themselves above everyone and everything else and achieving their personal happiness with rationality as a guide is the only purpose of their life. The bad guys, on the other hand, live by the ideas of altruism and collectivism. They undermine the importance of the individual over the majority. They possess no sense of self-worth and are reduced to a condition where, in Roark's words, "they have no self." Ayn Rand thus rejects the claim that it is honorable to live for others or for society. Howard Roark, the hero of the novel, is the embodiment of objective principles. He lives in his "peak of loneliness" with his own happiness as his only motivation. Neither sacrifices himself for others, nor sacrifices others for himself, but works for his rational self-interest. Roark respects his ego and refuses to be brought down by those who want him to compromise his integrity. He believes that the motivation to think comes from the ego, since the mind is an attribute of the individual: there can be no "collective thinking". Therefore, every creator or achiever is a person who lives for himself. His relationships with others... middle of paper... himself for things run by the mafia. Wynand admires Roark, who manages to maintain his individuality against the rest of the world. The heroes of The Fountainhead possess self-esteem while the villains lack it. In the words of Howard Roark: "If you do not respect yourself, you can have neither love nor respect for others." Works cited and consulted Berliner, Michael S., ed. Letters of Ayn Rand. By Ayn Rand. New York: Dutton, 1995. Branden, Nathaniel. My Years with Ayn Rand. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1999.Peikoff, Leonard. The philosophy of objectivism, a brief summary. Stein and Day, 1982. Rand, Ayn. The Source. New York: Plume, 1994. The Ayn Rand Institute. "A Brief Biography of Ayn Rand" [Online] available at www.aynrand.org/aynrand/biography.html, 1995Walker, Jeff. The cult of Ayn Rand. Carus publishing house, 1999