The real person hidden beneath the mask fears the rejection that might come if the mask of personality was removed. Our mask is accepted because everyone else is also wearing masks at the ball. A great deal of our life is spent in dancing and playing around each other’s subterfuges. Of course, a small amount of openess is allowed, we call this ‘letting our hair down.’ But the real fear is what we would do if we took off our masks and discovered that we had no faces.

-James Houston, The Transforming Friendship