Novel: Cards of Identity

Introduction
"Cards of Identity" is a satirical unique composed by Nigel Dennis and released in 1955. The novel explores the theme of identity through its portrayal of different characters who battle with understanding or defining their own identities due to external elements or societal pressure. With its dark humor, the novel talk about social conformity, identity politics, and the search for existential meaning. The story is divided into 3 main areas - "Morning", "Afternoon", and "Evening", each presenting various elements of the id.

Early morning: The Identity Club
The first area of the unique presents the reader to the strange and secretive Identity Club, a group of psychiatrists who fulfill each year to discuss their theories and research study on identity formation. The central character in this section is Sidney Butler, a club member and psychiatrist who believes that an individual's identity is formed primarily by the environment and society they grow up in. However, the club members have an ominous side - they kidnap individuals from numerous walks of life, control them into embracing new identities, and then study their reactions and emotions.

While the morning area is focused on the Identity Club, the narrative handles a more satirical tone as the club members are exposed to be manipulative and self-serving, using their clients as guinea pigs for their experiments. Additionally, Dennis critiques the psychiatric profession as an entire, suggesting that those in the field may not have their patients' benefits at heart.

Afternoon: Land of Quandaries
In the afternoon area, Prince Frederic of a fictional European country called Ruritania supplies comic relief. His kingdom remains in monetary disarray and the prince is sent to England to request for help. His journey is not an easy one, as he experiences various problems and difficulties that concern his own identity as a prince and how it has actually been shaped by external situations.

As his kingdom plunges much deeper into turmoil, Prince Frederic's sense of identity starts to decipher, and he is required to confront his own constructed self and decide whether to keep his expected "bequest" or redefine himself. This area spoofs the often-arbitrary nature of class and status distinctions, as well as the concept that one's identity is irrevocably figured out by their origins or social position.

Night: The Dukedom of Dunstable
In the last area of the novel, the storyline shifts to the drowsy town of Dunstable, where a local duke, the Duke of Dunstable, is facing an id of his own. The townspeople of Dunstable are courteous and well-mannered, yet they are experiencing a crisis of their own - an epidemic of identity theft.

As the townspeople anxiously look for their stolen identities, the Duke comes to grips with the understanding that his own identity is nothing more than a fabrication by Sidney Butler and the Identity Club. His sense of self is shattered, leaving him to question the really essence of his presence. In the end, the Duke chooses to defy the identity appointed to him by the club and develop a new life for himself, representing the possibility of self-determination and personal company in the face of societal pressure and imposed expectations.

Conclusion
"Cards of Identity" is an incisive and darkly amusing novel that takes a look at the principle of identity through the lens of satire, using a scathing review of social conformity and the psychiatric occupation. Through his memorable characters and engaging stories, Nigel Dennis raises existential questions about the nature of self, the influence of external elements on personal identity, and the struggle for individuality in a world that frequently seeks to enforce conforming functions and expectations. Overall, "Cards of Identity" stays a pertinent and thought-provoking unique more than 6 decades after its preliminary publication.