Lawrence Durrell suggests that humanity's main flaw might be an insatiable desire for an absolute truth, which can be too overwhelming to handle. This pursuit often leads us to seek reality beyond our capacity to comprehend or accept it.
He argues that instead of confronting uncomfortable truths, people prefer to create stories or fictions about each other and the world. These fabricated narratives provide comfort and order, even if they distort reality, highlighting a tendency to avoid facing difficult truths.