He makes no choices in life, for he has no free will. He lacks direction and goals. God took Benei Yisrael out of Egypt in order to instill them with a sense of existential freedom. To worship God is not a negation of the self. By utilizing free choice and committing oneself to the divine imperative, man's selfhood is affirmed.
Covenantal existence leads to human greatness.
The Torah rejected the institution of slavery because it contradicts the idea of freedom, which is at the root of the religious experience. It is noteworthy that even in paradise, man is not a passive recipient. Even after Benei Yisrael left Egypt, they retained the mindset associated with slavery. Of course they were glad that the Egyptian tyranny had terminated. Nevertheless, they still preferred the passive dependence of the slave.