“Something in our nature cries out to be loved by another. Isolation is devastating to the human psyche. That is why solitary confinement is considered the cruelest of punishments.”

“Isolation is devastating to the human psyche.”

“We are relational creatures. All humans live in community and most people seek social interaction. In western culture, isolation is seen as one of the most stringent of punishments. Even criminals do not aspire to solitary confinement.”

“It’s important that someone celebrate our existence," she objected amiably. "People are the only mirror we have to see ourselves in. The domain of all meaning. All virtue, all evil, are contained only in people. There is none in the universe at large. Solitary confinement is a punishment in every human culture.”

“We're all sentenced to solitary confinement inside our own skins, for life.”

“Hate and fascism are devoid of humanity, and therefore devoid of love. That's easy to see. But so are indifference devoid of humanity, and self-isolation, or the isolation of one-another.”