Two groups of captive macaques (M. fascicularis) were studied at the Primatological Laboratory, Kassel University, Germany. One group (D) included the animals born to high-ranking mothers, another (H) comprised those whose mothers were low-ranking. The first group was a despotic community in which conflicts occurred mainly between single individuals, and the male leader was the controlling animal. The second group was an egalitarian community split into two mutually hostile subgroups; the conflicts were less severe, and the male leader could control only his own subgroup.