I have a friend who was a young boy when the Soviets rolled into his home country, Poland.
He says everyone quickly learned you must be EXACTLY like everyone else. No better in any way. No worse in any way. Don’t excel at anything. Don’t fall behind in anything. Dress and look like everyone. Talk the party line. Smile just a little when you encounter party members.
The girl he ended up marrying was in an overtly Christian family. There were KFB agents on their porch 24 X 7. They had a small garden for their own food but were forbidden to have financial interactions with anyone. Reminds me of the book of Daniel.
A mind numbed robot, kind of like a DemonRat.