The Chrysalids is a 1955 science fiction novel by British writer John Wyndham. Its post-apocalyptic world is one which forces an extreme amount of outward conformity on its members and kills those who deviate from the norm. Outside this society are other social orders which allow for different conformities or some degree of anarchy.
In the case of the protagonists, what is at stake is not a true choice between "being true to yourself" and "conforming." Sophie is born with six toes. She does not have a choice of somehow going back into the womb and re-emerging with fewer toes. Similarly, the telepaths are born with mental powers. They can choose to pretend not to have those powers and live in Labrador, or they can leave the safety of their homes for the Fringe, an area where they would be exposed to lawlessness and physical danger. The society of Sealand is one which accepts change and difference and is portrayed as far better and wiser than either of the other two societies.
Given that the differences in the novel are outside characters' control, the most important question that the reader is left with is how one should respond to others who are different in some way and the degree to which societies should tolerate non-conformity.
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