--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They hated it when people spoke of “the…" description: "\"“They hated it when people spoke of “the condition,” because conditions are untouchable. They wanted to have a face, a perpetrator. They needed someone..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ab/fredrik-backman-857_beneath-the-surface_they-hated-it-when-people-spoke-of-the-c_1257366.jpg" --- # They hated it when people spoke of “the condition,”… ![“They hated it when people spoke of “the condition,” because conditions are untouchable. They wanted to have a face, a perpetrator. They needed someone to drown under the weight of all the guilt, because otherwise they themselves would be dragged beneath the surface. They were so selfish, they know…” quote by Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ab/fredrik-backman-857_beneath-the-surface_they-hated-it-when-people-spoke-of-the-c_1257366.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ab/fredrik-backman-857_beneath-the-surface_they-hated-it-when-people-spoke-of-the-c_1257366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ab/fredrik-backman-857_beneath-the-surface_they-hated-it-when-people-spoke-of-the-c_1257366.jpg) > ““They hated it when people spoke of “the condition,” because conditions are untouchable. They wanted to have a face, a perpetrator. They needed someone to drown under the weight of all the guilt, because otherwise they themselves would be dragged beneath the surface. They were so selfish, they know that, but when they didn’t have anyone to punish there was only the sky left to scream at, and then their rage was too great for any human being to bear. They wanted an enemy. Now they’ve got one. And now they don’t know if they ought to sit next to their daughter or hunt down the person who harmed her, if they ought to help her live or see to it that he dies. Unless they’re the same thing. Hate is so much easier than its opposite. \*  \*  \* Parents don’t heal. Nor do children.”” [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People create scapegoats to avoid confronting collective guilt, leading to cycles of hatred and unresolved trauma. **In simple terms:** Blaming others masks deeper guilt and pain. Key Takeaway Recognize and address underlying guilt instead of scapegoating. Themes guilt hate scapegoat family trauma Mood somber thoughtful Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - family counseling - community mediation - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology social dynamics conflict resolution Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms sustain scapegoating in societies? - How can empathy replace the need for an enemy? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated attitudes is difficult and may meet resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beneath the surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beneath-the-surface/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hate Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate-easier-1754713/) [Hated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hated/) [Hated People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hated-people-860879/) [Thing Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-hate/) ## Related quotes > [It's a very strange phenomenon being hated by people you've never met. 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I hate loving you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-a-hate-love-thing-i-hate-loving-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The thing is, is that I hate theatre, but it was how I learnt to sing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomston/the-thing-is-is-that-i-hate-theatre-but-it-was-how-i-learnt-to-sing/) [Thomston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomston/) > [“I, who had wanted to live a life high above everyone else, ended up with a son who would rather live deep beneath the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/i-who-had-wanted-to-live-a-life-high-above-everyone-else-ended-up/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“It didn't make much sense to me then, what Gnut was going through, but after Pila and me had our little twins, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wells-tower/it-didn-t-make-much-sense-to-me-then-what-gnut-was-going-through-but/) [Wells Tower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wells-tower/) > [“The question that arises is this: had father hated the people on the ship, just as she now hates the motorcyclist and the man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-question-that-arises-is-this-had-father-hated-the-people-on-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“But he hated to see his people people unhappy--because he was a good king, not because he was a nervous one--”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/but-he-hated-to-see-his-people-people-unhappy-because-he-was-a-good/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) ## More by Fredrik Backman > [“So she bowed her head and devoted herself to Beartown’s real traditional sports: shame and silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/so-she-bowed-her-head-and-devoted-herself-to-beartown-s-real/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“If Peter has learned one thing about human nature during all his years in hockey, it’s that almost everyone regards themselves as a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/if-peter-has-learned-one-thing-about-human-nature-during-all-his/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“That’s what parents often do, I think, we persuade ourselves we’re doing everything for the sake of the child. 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With pitchforks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/the-girl-glances-at-the-surface-of-the-desk-which-looks-as-if/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“Mnogim ljudima je teško da žive sa nekim ko ceni samoću. To neprijatno žulja one koji nisu i sami takvi.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/mnogim-ljudima-je-te-ko-da-ive-sa-nekim-ko-ceni-samo-u-to-neprijatno/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“But his taste buds are as dysfunctional as the volume control on his voice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/but-his-taste-buds-are-as-dysfunctional-as-the-volume-control-on-his/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“Throughout their childhood Maya loved her best friend because she wasn’t like any other girl she had met, but life as a teenager seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/throughout-their-childhood-maya-loved-her-best-friend-because-she/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“For more than half a century they belonged to one another. 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