"You listen," she repeats, unfazed by the necessity; unsurprised. "You learn to listen to more than what is said. To observe what they do, to consider why. To leave yourself and your thoughts and your feelings aside, and consider what might drive another person to do something that seems alien to you."

Alien; even unpleasant. Even abhorrent. A person's own reaction, own horror or distaste or frustration, these things don't come in useful when trying to grasp something. Some will in time be overcome, reconsidered; others reinforced. But it isn't relevant to the study of a person; not useful.

"Always ask yourself; what is the benefit? What is the gain? It's never simple, but it is the most important question to answer. Everything else from that."