By the end of the book, the gap between the pigs and the other animals, except for the dogs that guards the pigs, has grown very wide. The pigs live openly like humans. They reside in Farmer Jones's former house, wear clothes, and eat very well. They drink alcohol, hobnob with humans from other farms, and commandeer almost all of the wealth of the farm so that they can have whatever they want. When humans come and tour Animal Farm, they marvel that it is more efficient than their own farms. By this they mean that the pigs have more ruthlessly and effectively oppressed their farm animals than the humans have.

The worst inequalities are the stranglehold the pigs have over the government and over education. They make all the rules and use violence—their privileged dog police force—to enforce them. The rules of Animal Farm are all designed to privilege and enrich the pigs, and they brazenly change the Seven Commandments to hollow them of any meaning. The other animals seem helpless to organize any kind of effective opposition to their own oppression and destruction.

By the end, the pigs have set up an unequal education system, in which their own children are the only ones with real access to education and are trained from the start to consider themselves a superior class. Education for the rest of society consists of propaganda.

The top inequalities in Animal Farm include Napoleon and the pigs exploiting the other animals for their labor while they enjoy special privileges, Napoleon's brutal public executions, and the injustice toward Boxer when he can no longer work or contribute to the farm. Shortly after rebelling against Mr. Jones, Napoleon usurps power and begins ruling the farm like a ruthless dictator. As the new leader of Animal Farm, Napoleon disbands Snowball's committees, cancels Sunday meetings, and begins making all of the policy decisions himself. Under Napoleon's reign, the pigs enjoy a privileged status and are exempt from engaging in manual labor while the other animals toil all day. The pigs also receive the best food on the farm while the other animals receive small rations. They also have the opportunity to earn an education while the other animals are prohibited from learning.

Other injustices include the pigs sleeping in the farmhouse, enjoying alcohol, and reaping the benefits of the animals' labor by selling their commodities to humans. The animals receive no benefits or compensation for their labor and experience extremely difficult, arduous lives. Napoleon also publicly executes apparent dissidents and starves nine hens to death when they refuse to comply with his demands regarding their egg production. Any animal that disagrees with Napoleon's decisions is severely punished, which cultivates a hysterical atmosphere on the farm. The most poignant example of injustice takes place after Boxer is seriously injured. Despite Boxer's dedication, selflessness, and hard work, Napoleon has him sent to the knackers, and Squealer lies about his fate. Napoleon's reign completely undermines the animals' previous dreams of creating an egalitarian society founded on solidarity.

The top inequalities can best be summed up by the altered seventh commandment, which says,

"ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS" (Orwell, 42).

Throughout the novel, the pigs gradually begin taking advantage of the other animals on the farm by rewarding themselves with special privileges. They initially take the best foods for themselves, which are apples and milk that they mix into their mash under the pretense that they are "brainworkers." The pigs also exempt themselves from physical labor and begin inhabiting the farmhouse.

After Napoleon usurps power, he begins to rule the farm like a tyrant, and the other animals are subjected to extremely arduous work with little compensation. The pigs give orders while the other animals perform difficult, laborious tasks. With the help of Squealer, Napoleon gradually limits the animals' freedoms and alters the tenets of Animalism. Napoleon also begins murdering animals who challenge his rule and even holds public executions as innocent animals confess to crimes they did not commit.

The pigs become wealthy by trading products with other farmers, and they indulge in alcoholic beverages, wear human clothes, and begin walking upright. Only the young piglets are given an education, and the other animals are forbidden from associating with them. Essentially, pigs become the ruling elite while the other animals suffer as poor, marginalized laborers. The other animals on the farm are subjected to harsh treatment and have difficult lives, while the pigs give commands and enjoy living comfortably.

Although the last and most important of the Seven Commandments of Animal Farm declared that "all animals are equal," such was not the case. The pigs soon set themselves apart from the others, first absconding with the daily milk to mix with their mash. The pigs do no work, instead supervising the labor of the other animals. They learn to read and take over the harness room as their headquarters. Napoleon takes nine puppies, and they soon grow into his ferocious enforcers. When work on the windmill begins, all of the animals are forced to endure on reduced rations--except the pigs. The work week grows longer for the non-pigs, while the pigs soon move into the farmhouse and begin sleeping on beds. The hens are forced into giving up their eggs, which they consider murder. Another commandment is broken when the pigs order the death sentence for any animals suspected of having collaborated with the unseen Snowball. The animals are forced to address Napoleon as "our Leader, Comrade Napoleon." Soon, the pigs discover Mr. Jones' stash of whisky, which they consume until drunk.

When the pig population grows, the other animals recognize that Napoleon, the only boar on the farm, must be the sire. Boxer, instead of receiving his overdue retirement, is sold to the horse slaughterer--perhaps the greatest indignity to occur on Animal Farm. In the final chapter, the pigs exert their power by walking upright on two legs as they prepare to join forces with the humans, and once again the farm returns to its original name, "Manor Farm."