“Victims. Victims of a transitional period of morality. That is what we both certainly are.”

“Today, while Mother was watching me work, she suddenly remarked, “They say that people who like summer flowers die in the summer. I wonder if it’s true.” I did not answer but went on watering the eggplants. It is already the beginning of summer. She continued softly, “I am very fond of hibiscus, but we haven’t a single one in this garden.”“We have plenty of oleanders,” I answered in an intentionally sharp tone.“I don’t like them. I like almost all summer flowers, but oleanders are too loud.”“I like roses best. But they bloom in all four seasons. I wonder if people who like roses best have to die four times over again.”We both laughed.”

“Not long ago I learned from a certain person in considerable detail about the worthlessness of your character. All the same, it is you who have given me strength, you who have put the rainbow of revolution in my breast. It is you who have given an object to my life.”

“What, I wondered, did he mean by “society”? The plural of human beings? Where was the substance of this thing called “society”? I had spent my whole life thinkng that society must certainly be something powerful, harsh and severe, but to hear Horiki talk made the words “Don’t you mean yourself?” come to the tip of my tongue. But I held the words back, reluctant to anger him.‘Society won’t stand for it.’‘It’s not society. You’re the one who won’t stand for it - right?’‘If you do such a thing society will make you suffer for it’‘It’s not society. It’s you, isn’t it?’‘Before you know it, you’ll be ostracized by society.’‘It’s not society. You’re going to do the ostracizing, aren’t you?’Words, words of every kind went flitting through my head. “Know thy particular fearsomeness, thy knavery, cunning and witchcraft!” What I said, however, as I wiped the perspiration from my face with a handkerchief was merely, “You’ve put me in a cold sweat!” I smiled.From then on, however, I came to hold, almost as a philosophical conviction, the belief: What is society but an individual?”

“But happiness is being able to hope, however faintly, for happiness. So, at least, we must believe if we are to live in the world of today.”

“Then what's a synonym for woman?""Entrails.""You're not very poetic, are you? Well, then, what's the antonym for entrails?""Milk.”

“What did he mean by "society"? The plural of human beings?”