The Animal Faces of People

As the classic saying goes: “A person is a proud sound!” But given how often our actions don’t match this pompous statement, doubts inevitably creep in: do we flatter ourselves by claiming it? What feelings might even the most ordinary and familiar states awaken in people—hunger, love, or fatigue? And what if we experienced them not in the ordinary way, but in an extreme situation? Unfortunately, that’s where the biggest disappointment awaits all of us: pleasant, in every way human faces suddenly take on horrifying animal visages.