Society is a masked ball, where every one hides his real character, and reveals it by hiding.
The real meaning of persona is a mask, such as actors were accustomed to wear on the ancient stage; and it is quite true that no one shows himself as he is, but wears his mask and plays his part. Indeed, the whole of our social arrangements may be likened to a perpetual comedy; and this is why a man who is worth anything finds society so insipid, while a blockhead is quite at home in it.
Humans are different in private than in the presence of others. While the private persona merges into the social persona in varying degrees, the union is never complete. Something is always held back.
Psychopathy might lurk behind the mask of sanity.
Society is like a crowd in carnival costumes with everyone fearful that others will see through his disguise.
Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.
With my guy, every now and then, he puts on a mask and does that, but he isn't that. Most of the time that we see him, he isn't that. Most of the time that we see him, he's fun to hang around with. I think that's unusual, to that extent.
The question to ask about the writer isn't 'Why does he behave so badly?' but 'What does he gain by wearing this mask?
