Individuality in the Wave

Many of the students in The Wave think they must put aside their individual needs to fully embrace the movement. There are some positive aspects to this philosophy. For example, David believes that The Wave will help the football team cooperate with each other instead of only trying to advance themselves in the school's athletic hierarchy. However, there are also points in the novel when the needs of the individual are not mutually exclusive with those of the community. For example, both the individual and the community benefit when the students invite Robert to sit at their lunch table.