And in some way, Clary thought, he meant it, meant his gratitude. He had long ago lost the ability to distinguish between force and cooperation, between fear and willingness, between love and torture. And with that realization came a rush of numbnessโwhat was the point of hating Valentine for being a monster when he didnโt even know he was one?
Cassandra ClareWhen the soul has left the body, it belongs to death. And it cannot be taken back without a price.
Cassandra Clare... everything seemed to him a uniform shade of gray- even the people! He had been unable to believe it could rain so much in one place, and so unceasingly. The damp had seemed to come up from the floors and into his bones, so that he'd thought he would eventually sprout mold, in the manner of a tree. "You do get used to it," he said "Even if sometimes you feel as if you out to be able to be wrung out like a washrag." p 311
Cassandra Clare