This question, like so many others, hinges on what "freer" means. If you are a determinist/behaviorist, perhaps there is no such thing as freedom, so the question is irrelevant. You might want to read B.F. Skinner's "Beyond Freedom and Dignity."
To my way of thinking, John is freer because he is aware of a larger range of options than the citizens of BNW. They know only what they are programmed to know (although the Island indicates that the programming is less than perfect), so there is little to no chance that they are "free." The real question is "Does John's wider knowledge really provide a wider range of choices than those of the citizenry?" Does his upbringing give him a seeming range of choices that are easier for us to identify with, but give him a very small range of options because of his "formation"?
I know that he is the character that 'seems' freer, but I'm not sure that he really is. I do suspect, however, that his version freedom is much more attractive to us than the alternative.
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