At one time in the world there were woods that no one owned - Cormac McCarthy

Books lie, he said.
God dont lie.
No, said the judge. He does not. And these are his words.
He held up a chunk of rock.
He speaks in stones and trees, the bones of things.
The squatters in their rags nodded among themselves and were soon reckoning him correct, this man of learning, in all his speculations, and this the judge encouraged until they were right proselytes of the new order whereupon he laughed at them for fools.

Suppose you were the last one left? Suppose you did that to yourself?

It was always himself that the coward abandoned first. After this all other betrayals came easily.