"Every variety of the name of flesh, old flesh quailing upon aged bones, or the unquenched flesh of boys and women on limbs infirm with the desires that could be represented in effigy but not be slaked except in mime," captures the enduring and complex nature of human desire. Durrell emphasizes that such desires are rooted in the subconscious, generated by ancestral memories stored deep within the mind, and expressed through imagery and illusion rather than direct fulfillment.
"Lust belongs to the egg and its seat is below the level of psyche," suggests that primal desire originates from a fundamental, instinctive part of human nature, beneath the conscious mind. This portrays lust as an ancient, almost cellular impulse, disconnected from higher reasoning, emanating from the very core of being and influencing human behavior beyond conscious awareness.