Editing Brave New World (section)

===Background figures===
These are non-fictional and factual characters who lived before the events in this book, but are of note in the novel:
* [[Henry Ford]], who has become a [[messianism|messianic]] figure to the [[World state in Brave New World|World State]]. "Our Ford" is used in place of "Our Lord", as a credit to popularising the use of the [[assembly line]].
* [[Sigmund Freud]], "Our Freud" is sometimes said in place of "Our Ford" because Freud's psychoanalytic method depends implicitly upon the rules of classical conditioning,{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} and because Freud popularised the idea that sexual activity is essential to human happiness. (It is also strongly implied that citizens of the World State believe Freud and Ford to be the same person.)<ref>chapter 3, "Our Ford-or Our Freud, as, for some inscrutable reason, he chose to call himself whenever he spoke of psychological matters–Our Freud had been the first to reveal the appalling dangers of family life"</ref>
* [[H. G. Wells]], "Dr. Wells", British writer and [[utopian socialism|utopian socialist]], whose book ''[[Men Like Gods]]'' was a motivation for ''Brave New World''. "All's well that ends Wells", wrote Huxley in his letters, criticising Wells for anthropological assumptions Huxley found unrealistic.
* [[Ivan Pavlov]], whose conditioning techniques are used to train infants.
* [[William Shakespeare]], whose banned works are quoted throughout the novel by John, "the Savage". The plays quoted include ''[[Macbeth]]'', ''[[The Tempest]]'', ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', ''[[Hamlet]]'', ''[[King Lear]]'', ''[[Troilus and Cressida]]'', ''[[Measure for Measure]]'' and ''[[Othello]]''. Mustapha Mond also knows them because as a World Controller he has access to a selection of books from throughout history, including the [[Bible]].
* [[Thomas Robert Malthus]], 19th century British economist, believed the people of the Earth would eventually be threatened by their inability to raise enough food to feed the population. In the novel, the eponymous character devises the contraceptive techniques (Malthusian belt) that are practiced by women of the World State.
* Reuben Rabinovitch, the Polish-Jew character on whom the effects of sleep-learning, [[Sleep-learning|hypnopædia]], are first observed.
* [[John Henry Newman]], 19th century Catholic theologian and educator, believed university education the critical element in advancing post-industrial Western civilization. Mustapha Mond and The Savage discuss a passage from one of Newman's books.
* [[Alfred Mond, 1st Baron Melchett|Alfred Mond]], British industrialist, financier and politician. He is the namesake of Mustapha Mond.<ref name="Naughton">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/22/aldous-huxley-prophet-dystopia-cs-lewis|title=Aldous Huxley: the prophet of our brave new digital dystopia {{!}} John Naughton|last=Naughton|first=John|date=2013-11-22|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-10-07}}</ref>
* [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]], the founder and first President of [[Turkey|Republic of Turkey]]. Naming Mond after Atatürk links up with their characteristics; he reigned during the time ''Brave New World'' was written and revolutionised the 'old' Ottoman state into a new nation.<ref name="Naughton"/>