You forgot the context:

Java solves this with the Object class, which all objects derive from. It contains the "equals" method which returns the address of the object (IIRC) by default and can be overloaded by the child.

There's no standard definition for "equals" which is what I was referring to. Yes, you are correct, though, an equals method could be introduced into UNIVERSAL and simply overridden wherever you like, but it's not going to be something you can rely upon unless they're your own objects.