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Poetry · Chapter
XCIII explained
A single aphoristic statement reflecting on the nature of rogues and resentment.
What happens
A single aphoristic statement reflecting on the nature of rogues and resentment.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Self-Deception
The aphorism touches on the gap between how people perceive themselves (resenting the label 'rogue') and their actual nature (being a rogue).
Key passages
“If every man who resents being called a rogue resented being one this would be a world of wrath.”
If everyone who dislikes being called a dishonest person actually disliked being dishonest, the world would be full of anger.
The narrator suggests that resentment of the label does not imply resentment of the behavior.