Why did Rousseau connect dependence on others with the loss of freedom?

In Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s political theory, the connection between dependence on others and the loss of freedom is rooted in his view of human development from the state of nature to civil society.12

In the state of nature, Rousseau argued that humans were solitary, healthy, and free, acting according to basic urges and natural compassion. However, as individuals began to form societies, they became increasingly dependent on one another. This transition fostered negative passions like pride, jealousy, and a desire for social status, as people began to compare their achievements and demand consideration from their neighbors.123

Rousseau believed this social dependence corrupted the natural freedom of the individual. By relying on others for validation or material needs, individuals became alienated from their own nature and innocence, ultimately falling into a state of inequality and "chains" created by social conventions and property rights. For Rousseau, true liberty could only be recovered by moving away from this corrupting, unequal dependence toward a social contract where individuals obey only self-imposed laws derived from the general will.143