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All the voices
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has certain qualities that
fits them for the role and
other people pick up on
this at the unconscious
level. At first I thought the
selection of an individual
who could be pounced
upon at every turn of fate
was purely arbitrary, but
I’ve discounted that in
favour of the idea there is
something in thecharacter
that draws the abusers
forward. For a start the
candidate has to be
perceived as an outsider.
And realise this – a group
loves nothing better than
having an outsider to rail
against. I mean, it makes
them feel all warm and
belonging. Makes them
all knitted together. Until
an outsider is identified
there’s an undercurrent of
anxiety in any little group.
Because, yes, that instinct
I was just talking about
makes its members see
the necessity of having
an outsider placed inside
there with the rest. And
each person present, no
matter how conventional
and unremarkable they
may be, will have the
unvoiced worry that it will
be them.
Everybody present in the
house was unconsciously
searching for their own
house-pet outsider when
I turned up. They didn’t
recognise me at first it’s
true, but then instinct is
not always so ahead of the
game as it’s cracked up
to be. The outsider could
have turned out to be
Glea, or even Noisy, who’d
been in the house longer
than anyone. When Flake
turned up things were still
open to begin with but
they started to crystallize
at last as the instincts of
the inhabitants fused into