Because depression is so thematically powerful and so dark, when it's very severe, it can make people feel not only as if they've lost a loving connection, but as if the whole world is devoid of love. So if we wonder how somebody could take 149 people with him when he commits suicide, one answer can be that depression, when it's most severe, can make people feel that life is completely without value, not just for them but for anyone.

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

People blush when one of their core truths is revealed.

The good guys had to operate on a higher level than the killers--just for society to keep track of who was who.

My throat tightened, but I held back the tears and reminded myself that withdrawing from a woman is no different than kicking a drug; you feel shaky and you want it, but eventually the need passes, and you feel restored.

When people can do something simple to avoid conflict--say, hit a button or unlock a latch--they'll generally do it.

There's no original evil left in the world. Everyone's just recycling pain. (257)