Love may, indeed, love the beloved when her beauty is lost: but not because it is lost. Love may forgive all infirmities and love still in spite of them: but Love cannot cease to will their removal. Love is more sensitive than hatred itself to every blemish in the beloved… Of all powers he forgives most, but he condones least: he is pleased with little, but demands all.
In C.S. Lewis's "The Problem of Pain," he explores the nature of love and its relationship with imperfections. He suggests that true love can endure even when the beloved's beauty fades, but this endurance doesn’t stem from the loss itself. Love possesses the ability to forgive various faults and weaknesses, yet it maintains a strong desire for the beloved to overcome these shortcomings.
Lewis emphasizes that love is highly attuned to flaws and expects a lot from those it cherishes. While love can overlook minor transgressions, it does not merely accept them. Rather, it aspires for the highest good of the beloved, reflecting a balance between acceptance and the hope for improvement.
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