To Remain Inside

“In my sealed world, a problem person who crossed over to the outside was briefly mourned and soon forgotten: an enemy all knew how to handle. They stood away from such a person. But a problem person who chose for whatever reason to remain inside became a feared and troubling liability, and ultimately a demonic presence. They didn’t know how to relate to you because you were inside and outside simultaneously; you blurred the lines of separation; they didn’t know what to tell their children.”

—from My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok