It's hard to imagine him angry without them. It must be like watching a game show by yourself, how calling out the answers feels silly and pointless. What is fury without witnesses? Where's the tension minus an audience to wonder what you'll do next?
In this passage, the author contemplates the nature of anger and the role of an audience in experiencing intense emotions. The comparison to watching a game show alone highlights how certain feelings, like fury, seem diminished when there is no one to share them with. The absence of witnesses makes the expression of anger feel trivial and less impactful. Without others to witness the emotional display, it loses its intensity and significance.
The emphasis on the audience indicates that human emotions are often validated through the reactions and presence of others. Fury gains weight when there's anticipation about how it will unfold and what consequences might arise. Without this context, the urgency and drama of anger can feel hollow, like a solitary game with no stakes. This reflects a broader commentary on how we seek validation and connection through shared experiences of strong emotions.
