In "Oryx and Crake," the character Jimmy reflects on the emotional distance he feels towards the suffering and death occurring in the world around him. He acknowledges that he is largely unaffected by the pain of others, suggesting a disconnect that allows him to remain numb to the chaos. This inability to empathize with larger groups of people is tied to a primal instinct that limits human emotional engagement.

Jimmy recalls Crake's assertion that humans struggle to relate to others beyond a small circle, effectively reducing the emotional capacity to engage with more than two people at a time. This perspective reveals a deeper commentary on human nature and societal apathy, suggesting that as societies grow larger, individual experiences of suffering become increasingly abstract, leading to a lack of genuine concern for others.