One of the strongest feelings I remember from my childhood is, precisely, of being humiliated; of being knocked about by words, acts, or situations. … - Ingmar Bergman

CABALLERO: Por ello, yo quiero saber. No deseo creer. Ni suponer, sino saber... Deseo que Dios me tienda su mano, ver su rostro y que me hable.
MUERTE: Pero se calla.

CABALLERO: Así es... Le grito en medio de la noche, pero es como si no hubiera nadie en ningún sitio.
MUERTE: Puede ser que no haya nadie.

CABALLERO: Sí, ya lo he pensado. Pero, en ese caso, la vida sería un horror absurdo. Nadie es capaz de vivir con la Muerte ante sus ojos y creyendo que todo ha de desembocar en la nada más absoluta.
MUERTE: La mayor parte de los hombres no piensan ni en la Muerte ni en la Nada.

CABALLERO: Sin embargo, tiene que llegar un día en que se encuentren sobre el borde mismo de la vida.... y entonces habrán de mirar hacia la Noche.
MUERTE: En efecto. Y ese día puede ser cualquiera...

Don’t you think I understand? The hopeless dream of being. Not seeming, but being. Conscious at every moment. Vigilant. At the same time, the chasm between what you are to others and to yourself. The feeling of vertigo and the constant desire to at last be exposed — to be seen through, cut down, perhaps even annihilated. Every tone of voice is a lie, every gesture a falsehood, every smile a grimace. Commit suicide? Oh, no. That’s ugly. You don’t do that. But you can be immobile. You can fall silent. Then, at least, you don’t lie. You can close yourself in, shut yourself off. Then you don’t have to play roles, show any faces, or make false gestures. You think…but you see, reality is bloody-minded. Your hideout isn’t watertight. Life seeps in everything. You’re forced to react. No one asks if it’s real or unreal, if you’re true or false. It’s only in the theater the question carries weight — hardly even, there. I understand you, Elisabet. I understand your keeping silent, your immobility. That you’ve placed this lack of will into a fantastic system... I understand and I admire you. I think you should maintain this role until it’s played out, until it’s not longer interesting. Then you can leave it, just as you bit-by-bit leave all your roles.

What matters most of all in life is being able to make that contact with another human. Otherwise you are dead, like so many people today are dead… But if you can take that first step toward communication, toward understanding, toward love, then no matter how difficult the future may be – and have no illusions, even with all the love in the world, living can be hellishly difficult – then you are saved. This is all that really matters, isn’t it?