In the case of the twentieth century society, if a person does not approve of the choices offered at the warehouse or if they are not satisfied with the quality of the product, he or she has nowhere else to turn. Competition also keeps companies searching for more efficient ways to use their resources and improve their product. If they do not partake in this activity, they will be forced out of the market. Bellamy's lack of incentives and inaccurate assumptions about human behavior are two interrelated faults in his society. Edward Bellamy overestimated the good qualities of human behavior and, therefore, underestimated the importance of incentives.
Incentives play a key role in the functioning of a society.
A person's actions are guided by incentives. A person will choose to do an act if the benefits to himself as a result of the act are greater than the cost of doing the act. Utility also plays a role in incentives. People generally want to maximize utility, and minimize losses. Here is where Bellamy overestimated the goodness in human behavior.