Thanks for touching on this difficult subject, precisely because of its dark nature. The dark side, we all have it, and we must come to terms with it.

I like your example of children (and adolescents) stealing, as this is a perfect illustration of the dark side. However, instead of filling an external need, I think many of these cases are driven by something even more profound: power! As growing individuals they need to assert themselves, in whichever way possible. That also explains outbursts of vandalism at that age, as well as other stupid things kids tend to get into.

What I don't agree with, however, is that we need to release our ego. Just like everything else, the ego has its rightful place and purpose (the way I see it). It is the manifestation of oneself, one's will. It's a powerful tool, making us powerful creatures, so we need to know how to handle it well. Instead of giving it up (and thus surrendering ourselves to... exactly: other people's egos), we should get to know it, control it, train it, and use it under the right circumstances for the right reason. Sometimes you just need to hit the negotiating table, on other occasions kicking the table over completely is what may be called for. Knowing the exact when, how, and why, that takes lots of practice, which we can't develop if we don't work with our ego that we have.