Funny how a lot of people disappeared once those mere information collectors took them away ...
A friend of my German father-in-law spent five years in a STASI prison for having the audacity to decline the two jobs offered his class the year he graduated - barber or baker.
He wanted to be a dentist. After he was included in a prisoner swap at the Glienicke bridge, he was able to finally realize his dream and become a dentist.