In a home owner's association, the home owners are part of the association. You have to play by the rules, but you are also part of the body that makes the rule

In a home owner's association, the home owners are part of the association. You have to play by the rules, but you are also part of the body that makes the rules. In this case, the party setting the rules is more like the rich person who originally built and "sold" the houses (but still enforces curfew, and changes the rules whenever they feel like it).