If you remember from your reading of Plato's Republic Book VII, the prisoners were unable to turn around. Their whole perception of the world was based on what they saw on the walls and what they heard. This began in the earliest childhood and continued throughout their lifes. The real question arised at whether the prisoner once exposed to the light of day and reality would return in order educate the rest of the prisoners and how would they react to this information.

The conflict between civil duty and social responsibility.