It is perhaps telling that Elysian territory is most commonly referred to as “The Empire” as this concept is the central focus of Elysian society and culture.

Elysian citizens tend to have a strong sense of place or station within the Empire. They may disagree strongly as to whether it is frontier colonies or Homeworld districts that contribute more to the Empire, but by and large a citizen's sense of worth stems from the worth of the Empire as a whole.

This mindset is particularly cultivated by the Board of Directed Truth. The Board is the ideological backbone of the Elysian Empire whose efforts have channeled the attitudes of its disparate citizenry towards civic pride and contentment.

The political climate is described in detail in history textbooks but the status quo is in general maintained by a mix of pride and propaganda.

Religion has been supplanted by philosophy in the Elysian Empire. There is no state philosophy but most philosophies are spiritual and non-theistic in nature. Philosophies such as Organics and Prometheus are well known and describe ways of living that prepare an individual's soul to transcend mortality, even if this is several reincarnations in the future.

Prison of course tends to attract the more extreme members of society. Service users of reform facilities tend to be those who disagree with at least some of the laws of Elysium. These people are perhaps not the role models of society that the Board portrays in the media. However many believe that the influence of the Board extends even to the mess halls of the most remote reform facilities.