That Hideous Strength

“I mean that there is a half-hearted attempt to adopt an attitude towards irrational creatures which cannot be consistently maintained. And I’ll do the justice to say that you’ve never tried. The bear is kept in the house and given apples and golden syrup till it’s near bursting –“

“Well, I like that!” said Mrs. Maggs. “Who is it that’s always giving him apples? That’s what I’d like to know.”

“The bear, as I was observing,” said MacPhee, “is kept in the house and pampered. The pigs are kept in a stye and killed for bacon. I would be interested to know the philosophical rationale of the distinction.”

Ivy Maggs looked in bewilderment from the smiling face of the Director to the unsmiling face of MacPhee.

“I think it’s just silly,” she said. “Who ever heard of trying to make bacon out of a bear?”