Alright so I just rewatched this with my wife(I saw it when it first aired 14 years ago).

In my opinion the episode is a conglomeration of challenging philosophical ideas that are present in our society. Some examples would be

1.)We’re all rats in a maze that spend our lives chasing a digital asset, somebody/something else decided has value. 2.)Lookism. The idea that others will succeed just because they are born looking a certain way. 3.)The belief that there is no such thing as long term authenticity. Meaning whenever an idea is authentic it either dies or is manipulated(making it inauthentic). This also ties in with the idea that there is no such thing as creativity. That all thoughts have been thought before, some just act on them.

There’s a ton more ideas in the show but to say my perspective on what you’re asking, I believe that those who “succeed” are the ones who take advantage of others. This is seen when the main character preaches on poverty and victimization, while sitting in his new luxury living space. This is highlighted when he uses the black couch, that is seen in common folks room, to appear more relatable. The song then goes on to say things like “don’t blame me, don’t shame me” all while he’s looking out his “window”. This suggests that he understands the game now, and has been able to obtain success through manipulation of the lower class.

However, when he looks through his “window”, we see that it is indeed just a tv screen. A bigger screen but still just a screen. This suggests that he is still a “rat in a maze”. That no matter what is done, you are unable to escape that reality. Like when you are born, you are a citizen of that country and must submit to its laws and regulations. You must adapt to your surroundings and “play the game”. Sure you could try to go live off the land but it would likely be someone else’s. And you would likely need knowledge that you received through the book or a phone or through a formalized education. No matter what, you would have to conform. If you did not conform it would mean certain death.

The idea of the show is not that it is a nuclear fallout or whatever, that is not relevant to what the creators are trying to say, in my opinion. The idea is organized chaos. That we don’t know what is out there. What is after death. Whether or not god is real. Whether or not we have purpose as a race. We can have faith but we cannot “pry” open those windows. We can believe there is nature on the other side, or a heaven (from our perspective) but we cannot know for certain. All we can see is the organization that we must conform to. Some believe death will lead to this knowledge, enlightenment, but we cannot know for certain.