Who is The Shah of Iran from Prisons We Choose to Live Inside and what is their importance?

The Shah of Iran was the leader of Persia when a village man named his cat Shah-in-Shah, which means King of Kings. The man is quickly jailed. When Lessing tells this story, they often respond that the Shah would never have been so silly, but Lessing feels that the explanation is that the Shah does not know what people below him are doing, which is often the case in governments. Thus, it is important for safeguards to be applied in order to protect citizens from the cruelties of government functionaries.