The speaker argued that pathological narcissism functions like a distributed, secular religion built on shared fantasies that organize and explain social life, with leaders imposing narratives to convert and control followers. Examples include race and meritocracy, which serve to entrench elites by offering false hope, fostering grandiosity and entitlement, and preventing solidarity among those at the bottom. Modern technologies and consumerist narratives amplify these effects by atomizing people, gaslighting reality, and preserving hierarchical power and social immobility for the benefit of a few. Narcissist’s Opium: How Narcissists Use Fantasies to RULE