The alternative would be developing a conscience of your own.

"The Caretaker" is a double edged sword of an episode. It deals with the Doctor and Clara's respective worlds clashing in a big way, while simultaneously looking into their individual psychologies. The 12th Doctor's egotism seems to be a natural progression from the 11th's. The fact that he needs Clara's human perspective is fully illuminated, lest he float off to a plane of true alien-ness. The episode explored the effect the Doctor has on the life of people he travels with in a way that a less developed Clara could never make feel real. Her development since the 50th anniversary pays off by the midpoint of season 8.