They are held in check by the stronger egos of others. The many small deaths of the ego are revealed in the phenomenon of disappointment. Disappointment results when the emphasis of the ego is blocked. In the race towards recognition and notoriety, only a few egos can be prominent. Social honor is a scarce commodity.
Success is by nature nonegalitarian.
The defeated ego in the contest for recognition is forced to realize that its presence is not influential. Its opinion carries no weight. The very life of the ego depends on this power of influence and this recognition from others. The ego exists only in the fact that others acknowledge its existence and feel its presence. The ego is not a self-contained enclosure, but a fragile and dependent presence, dependent on the approval of others.