It should be noted that not only the equal, but often precisely the unequal, relation of the subordinates to the dominating head gives solidity to the social form characterized by subordination under one individual. The varying distance or closeness to the leader creates a differentiation which is not less firm and articulate because the internal aspect of these relations to him often is jealousy, repulsion, or haughtiness. The social level of the individual Indian caste is determined by its relation to the Brahman.

XREF: Connects to Simmel's broader sociology of forms and the paradoxical stability of asymmetry — echoes scholarship on how rank distance creates cohesion.

Georg Simmel, on individuality and social…, loc. 332