It seemed to be a necessary ritual that he should prepare himself for sleep by meditating under the solemnity of the night sky... a mysterious transaction between the infinity of the soul and the infinity of the universe.
Victor HugoRead
The malicious have a dark happiness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The malicious find joy in the suffering of others, which is a twisted form of happiness.
Victor Hugo's quote implies that those with malicious intentions can experience a deceptive sense of joy that stems from causing pain or misfortune to others. This 'dark happiness' contrasts sharply with a genuine sense of well-being that arises from compassion and kindness, highlighting the moral complexities of human emotions and the perverse satisfaction some derive from malevolent actions.
Themes
MaliciousHappinessDarkJoySuffering
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the complexity of human emotions during a psychology class.
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At that moment of love, a moment when passion is absolutely silent under omnipotence of ecstasy, Marius, pure seraphic Marius, would have been more capable of visiting a woman of the streets than of raising Cosetteβs dress above the ankle. Once on a moonlit night, Cosette stopped to pick up something from the ground, her dress loosened and revealed the swelling of her breasts. Marius averted his eyes.
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