He was obeyed, yet he inspired neither love nor fear, nor even respect. He inspired uneasiness. That was it! Uneasiness. Not a definite mistrust —just uneasiness— nothing more. You have no idea how effective such a… a… faculty can be. He had no genius for organising, for initiative, or for order even. [...] He had no learning, and no intelligence. His position had come to him —why? Perhaps because he was never ill.

Conrad, J. (2002) Heart of Darkness, London, Oxford University Press (p. 123)

How close I am of someone like the manager of the Central Station, in Conrad’s tale. How desperate I feel when having to share the same space, the same air with such an specimen. If I were Superman, he’d be the ‘kriptonite’.

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