'Let's go back to Mr Hopper,' said co-leader Scott pleasantly. 'Tell us now, Hank, why were you so scared before?' Mr Hopper answered promtly: 'I was scared because you wanted the truth, and both of the answers I felt like making seemed to me to be half-lies. I was confused.' 'Confusion is a only a symptom of repression,' Marya said, smiling. 'You know there are unpleasant aspects to your true feelings which you're ashamed of. But if you'd just share them with us, they'd no longer bug you.' 'Lie about them,' Linda said. [...] 'Ah come on,' said the magazine editor. 'What's so much fun about lying?' 'What's so much fun about pretending to be honest?' she replied. 'We're not aware that we're pretending, Linda,' Scott said. 'Maybe that's why you're all tense,' Linda countered. [...] 'Is it my turn?' asked Mr Hopper. 'What are you trying to prove?' Scott snapped out at Linda. Linda looked over at him and patted Marya on her bare knee. 'Nothing,' she said to Scott. 'I just feel like acting the way I'm acting.' 'You admit you're just acting?' he asked. 'Of course,' she answered. Then she sat up and directed her sincere blue eyes at Mr Hopper. 'I'm afraid a part of you is embarrassed by all this, right, Hank?' 'Yes,' he said, smiling nervously. 'But part of you is enjoying it.' He laughed. 'Part of you thinks I'm a nervy bitch.' He hesitated and then nodded. 'And part of you thinks I'm he most honest one here.' 'You're damn right', he answered abruptly. 'Which one is the real you?' He frowned and seemed to be concentrating on self-analysis. 'I guess the real me is the one -' 'Oh shit, Hank. You're not being honest.' 'I'm not? I didn't even tell you which one -' 'But is one any more real than the next?' [...] 'What are your true feelings now, Hank?' she asked him. For a moment the question caught him off guard; then he smiled. 'Happy confusion,' he said loudly. (pp 399-404)
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From The Dice Man, Luke Rhinehart.
'Let's go back to Mr Hopper,' said co-leader Scott pleasantly. 'Tell us now, Hank, why were you so scared before?'
Mr Hopper answered promtly: 'I was scared because you wanted the truth, and both of the answers I felt like making seemed to me to be half-lies. I was confused.'
'Confusion is a only a symptom of repression,' Marya said, smiling. 'You know there are unpleasant aspects to your true feelings which you're ashamed of. But if you'd just share them with us, they'd no longer bug you.'
'Lie about them,' Linda said. [...]
'Ah come on,' said the magazine editor. 'What's so much fun about lying?'
'What's so much fun about pretending to be honest?' she replied.
'We're not aware that we're pretending, Linda,' Scott said.
'Maybe that's why you're all tense,' Linda countered.
[...]
'Is it my turn?' asked Mr Hopper.
'What are you trying to prove?' Scott snapped out at Linda.
Linda looked over at him and patted Marya on her bare knee.
'Nothing,' she said to Scott. 'I just feel like acting the way I'm acting.'
'You admit you're just acting?' he asked.
'Of course,' she answered. Then she sat up and directed her sincere blue eyes at Mr Hopper. 'I'm afraid a part of you is embarrassed by all this, right, Hank?'
'Yes,' he said, smiling nervously.
'But part of you is enjoying it.'
He laughed.
'Part of you thinks I'm a nervy bitch.'
He hesitated and then nodded.
'And part of you thinks I'm he most honest one here.'
'You're damn right', he answered abruptly.
'Which one is the real you?'
He frowned and seemed to be concentrating on self-analysis.
'I guess the real me is the one -'
'Oh shit, Hank. You're not being honest.'
'I'm not? I didn't even tell you which one -'
'But is one any more real than the next?'
[...]
'What are your true feelings now, Hank?' she asked him.
For a moment the question caught him off guard; then he smiled.
'Happy confusion,' he said loudly. (pp 399-404)
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