I think it’s important to note, because you mentioned altruism, the reference framework that the play uses for altruism is helping others. So they align Rand with an anti-helping others mentality. They don’t define altruism the way objectivists do which is sacrifice to the other, which is a very different phenomenon than helping someone.
Mark Pellegrino
Mark makes a really good point. There’s a huge difference between helping people and sacrificing your needs to someone else’s; a person can be both selfish and heroic. If you put your life on the line for someone or something you love, that’s a selfish act. Your life would be so much worse without that person or thing that it’s worth the risk. If you offer help to someone who works for you, as Mark did recently, that’s a selfish act too. Who doesn’t want people they value to be happy? Selfishness, as defined in Objectivism, is a positive thing and helping others shouldn’t be a sacrifice.