The dystopias told in the classics of Orwell and Huxley or the more recent 'Prophet Song' can become everyday stories. It is not a simple fear, but something that is happening in the real world.

The archetypal totalitarianisms of the 20th century, as described by Frank Dikötter in his book Dictators, can be seen as real dystopias. In imagined dystopias, and in real ones, the sole leader begins to have an omnipresent image in the lives of citizens.