Have you ever wondered why ordinary people do unusual things that seem alien to their natures? Why do good people sometimes act evil? Who do smart people sometimes do dumb or irrational things? Zimbardo is one of the most significant social psychologist and all his work aims to find the answers to these questions. The purpose of this paper is to go into depth on the previous prison experiment, how it came about, and how the findings play a role in society today. This brings up the question why do “good” people do bad things? Although this was an experiment, many feel to this day that this was the real deal. Zimbardo suggests that we might “choose to remain prisoners because being passive and dependent frees us from the need to act and be responsible for our actions. I agree with his statement that some people would rather be a prisoner because it allows them to be free and devoid of responsibility. In some situations, especially a prison recreation, it is easier to be passive when all your basic needs are met for free. In real life some people are willing prisoners because that is the only way that the only way they are safe at night. They are given three free meals a day and a bed to sleep in, this is more than some of these people have. The burdens of being disobedient could outweigh the reasons a person wants to be a prisoner. When a prisoner is disobedient the consequences can be grave. The Stanford Prison Experiment, showed that the punishment was up to the guards discretion and could span from being forced to do pushups to being physically abused. There was also solitary confinement which could have been seen as the worst punishment for the prisoners.