people were so ridiculous with their illusions, carrying their fool's caps unawares, thinking their own lies opaque while everybody else's were transparent, making themselves exceptions to everything, as if when all the world looked yellow under a lamp they alone were rosy.
In Middlemarch, George Eliot highlights the tendency of people to cling to their delusions, often unaware of how they deceive themselves. They believe their own fabrications to be true and view the lies of others with clarity, making them feel uniquely justified. This duality showcases the flawed human perception that leads individuals to see themselves as exceptions in a world where everyone else seems to conform to a different reality.
The metaphor of carrying "fool's caps" signifies how individuals fall prey to their own absurdities, convinced of their own superiority. When Eliot mentions that some believe they are "rosy" while the rest are "yellow," she emphasizes the self-centeredness that clouds judgment, illustrating how people often fail to recognize the universal nature of their flaws. It is a powerful commentary on human nature and the complexity of self-awareness.
