The Others is a 1986 novel by Alison Prince.
In the novel, people are subject to physical and mental programming to perform their job functions, in a post-holocaust setting.
[1] Dave Langford reviewed The Others for White Dwarf #82, and stated that "Not desperately convincing in its resolution [...] but otherwise it's tense and gritty stuff.
Rather than being miraculously preserved to the final, likable characters can die.
"[1]