People are conforming due to risk aversion. If people would always do whatever they would want, then they would be exposed to insane risks and probably not live too long. If they conform to some group or some basic agreements and rules, then they reduce individual risk, and pass it on to the group. This is perhaps how tribes formed, but generally the individual would still have a huge amount of freedom.
The problem is when people become lazy cowards, like today, they can barely do anything without the government, then they become tools and slaves.