@Victor Eremita,
I was most struck by the force of the hold binding the Commonwealth together even though it may be met with an ignorant (according to Hobbes) denial.
Did anyone else see similarities between Hobbes' subject-to-subject agreement ("I'll surrender my absolute natural liberty to the sovereign if you do the same.") and Freud's fraternal libidinal ties in
Group Psychology and Analysis of the Ego? Hobbes describes this agreement being made when crossing over from absolute natural but miserable liberty in a state of war to the Commonwealth whereas Freud writes this is a libidinal tie made against self-love to unite citizens (its first instance being found in transition from the primal horde to totemistic society).
Far fetched? I too thought so and still do somewhat. However, Hobbes writes the heirless sovereign's death dissolves the Commonwealth. I was immediately reminded of Freud's description of an army's seemingly irrational rout upon the killing of their commander (even though they may have been handily bludgeoning their enemy up til that point). He thinks its the sudden shattering of the fraternal libidinal ties between fellow soldiers which to me sounded similar to the dissolution of the Commonwealth.