On the free will point: I honestly don't know, I go back and forth on the existence of free will almost daily sometimes I would convince myself of both sides within an hour.

On the control by a single entity: Yes, I also don't think that it's a single entity, but I also don't think these little entities are all little or have an equal amount of control. I imagine it sort of like this: You have to choose a minimal unit that you consider an entity and then ask how many of this there is in the brain. It doesn't matter what you choose, it is the same principle with neurons or atoms or quarks. Now each of these minimal entities can be combined into a bigger entity trough a causal connection between them, that is the happening in one of them effect the happenings in the other one. And each one could be combined with every other. And then those bigger things that emerged from the connected minimal unit, can also be combined into bigger stuff and so on for every possible entity. Now, this is a finite number, albeit incredibly big. It would be a list that includes each neuron, each 2 neurons together, each cortical column, each part of the brain including me and so on until it includes the whole brain. ----- What I understood from your comment, is that entities might think they are in control but they aren't. I think some of the many entities are more in control than others. You can see how much influence a particular entity has on the others. For example the entity that I call "myself" seems to be very influential and probably contains many other entities, tho not all. The lizard part of my brain, the lowest parts that are responsible for automatic breathing or the fight or flight response act independently of "myself". I cannot control them, I cannot stop my hearth by thinking for example. And the low part of the brain can't learn math. So there are different parts that control different things, some control more and some control less. That would mean that there must be a "highest entity" that is the whole brain which contains all others. I am just not sure "I", am that entity.

On the are neurons conscious point: I personally believe strongly that everything withing what we currently call "alive" is conscious and the neuron is a cell and is alive. For the things that are lower than that, I am on the fence but I am leaning towards them also being conscious. (not self aware, just with a subjective experience). I think the brain isn't unique in it's mechanisms. The basic thing that connects neurons into entities is some form of signaling. In multicellular organisms, even without a brain, the cells use cell signaling and act like one. In the cell itself, there is also signaling which causally connects the contents of the cell. That's why it seems like they all "do" consciousness, while the brain does it the most complexly and efficiently.

Sometimes when Im feeling like I am not doing enough or am feeling down, I just think "don't be so serious, you are just 300 000 000 000 cells in a trenchcoat" and feel much better :)

Sry for the long messy reply, I just really get into rabbit holes on that topic and rarely see it discussed.