Expectation of

"To be a comrade was to practice social equality in everyday life as well as in party work. The comrades, held even by those who were not comrades themselves and which were not always fulfilled, was radical egalitarianism. Comrades were those not only courageous enough to practice a mode of belonging deeply at odds with the prevailing culture but dedicated enough to recognize how personal relations help produce political power."

Can I read the emphasized phrase like that: Comrades were supposed to be radical egalitarian.