Most children would rather preserve the fantasy of a loving connection with their fathers and mothers, at all costs, even if it costs them their self-esteem. When you're three or seven years old, it's less frightening to think of yourself as an unlovable, disappointing screwup than to recognize the fact that you're living with a monster.

The bad things don't seem to happen to bad people.' That's because they already did. There's no original evil left in the world.

A jealous husband is an ugly thing.

People react predictably, especially when they don't have time to think.

But insight doesn't necessarily produce self-control. Sometimes you just see your destructiveness more clearly.

But that's the hardest part of healing.' What?' Realizing there's no one to hate.

What about my rights? What about a person's privacy? Did all that just go to hell after 9/11?