Quote:
Originally Posted by rkomar
I think the discomfort can come from understanding what Humbert feels, even while disapproving strongly. There may be a secret fear that we're not so different, and an unwillingness to confront that thought in case it might be true. I don't think many people are in danger of feeling too close to Hannibal Lector, so they can read about his antics without fear of self-loathing.
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Maybe it's even a mix of the two. We can understand rage and how it could get out of control to the extent of committing murder, and on some level we can understand what drives a man like Humbert, though we don't want to because at some time or other we all want to do something that we know is socially unacceptable. Not necessarily what Humbert chose to do in particular but something which we know is based in the dark side of our human natures. Most of us of course resist acting on such impulses and consider them to be 'unthinkable' when we hear about someone doing such acts, but at the same time it's like when we're out driving and come across a car accident. We can't help but look for the red stuff.