“Alec is beautiful,” said Jill, bending down to kiss him. “Like a mushroom cloud!” scoffed Balkister. - Kage Baker

The same intact culture that made them good businessmen also made many of them lousy parents.

“Why did I never understand...”
“That it was vanity?” I said.
“Mm, but so much worse...Delusion. Because, the thing is—human progress begins, not with one lone man with a weapon, however heroic. Nor with subtle governments, be they never so altruistic. It begins with a man and his wife in bed...and...how could I ever hope to govern humanity, without having been even that human?

Privilege tends to soften the brain, or so I’ve observed.