Their drift away from others produced a selfish privacy and they had lost the refuge and the consolation of a clan. Baptists, Presbyterians, tribe, army, family, some encircling outside thing was needed. Pride, she thought. Pride alone made them think that they needed only themselves, could shape life that way, like Adam and Eve, like gods from nowhere beholden to nothing except their own creations. She should have warned them, but her devotion cautioned against impertinence. As long as Sir was alive it was easy to veil the truth: that they were not a family-not even a like-minded group. They were orphans, each and all.
The passage highlights the disconnection between individuals who have withdrawn into their own private worlds, emphasizing their loss of communal support and connection. This isolation fosters a misguided sense of self-sufficiency, where pride leads them to believe they can create their own existence without needing a collective identity or nurturing bond, akin to a family or community. Their arrogance blinds them to the reality of their situation, as they fail to recognize their need for solidarity.
The narrator reflects on the absence of genuine familial ties, suggesting that despite the appearances of unity, they are fundamentally alone, likening them to orphans. The presence of a figure like Sir creates an illusion of family, masking the truth of their disconnected lives. In this state, the characters are depicted as individuals overly proud to acknowledge their vulnerability, which hinders their ability to truly connect with one another.
