What is a change that could happen in your situation so that both people could cooperate, even if they only care about themselves? (For example, in the situation with two prisoners who worked for the mafia, they would cooperate because there was a rule that whoever got killed would defect

A PRISONER'S DILEMMA SITUATION

Take the case of two students of a school who decided to pull a prank at a school assembly. The unknowingly start a fire in between the prank and are called to the principal's office as they are suspected for starting the fire. Both of them are imterrogated seperately to know who started the fire. Anybody who is blamed would be expelled. So, if both students blamed each other, both would be held accountable and expelled. If either one blamed the other while the other kept silent, one student would be expelled. In the case of both students staying silent and not spilling out the truth, none of them would be expelled. But the students who are not aware of this act only in their best interest and blame the other. What they each do in their bet interest turn out to collectively harm them both.

There can be an escape from this prisoner's dilemma if a change is brought to the situation, even though the students act in their best interest. In this situation, if the students are siblings, they would act differently. They would want their own best interest but would not want to harm their sibling in the process and get them expelled. So in their best interest they choose to stay silent, which incidentially gives the best outcome of none of the students being expelled.