Love? What does love mean in this fearsome drama? Not much that is
affirmative. Not much to heat the heart of a sentimental spectator. It
signifies a passion that amounts to illness, an alternately aching and
frantic desire that cannot be slaked. The three characters who love
strive to conquer love by straining their will power to its elastic
limits. And what does loved mean here? Not the ecstasy of glowing with
selflessness and basking in another's affection, but a tormenting burden
that cannot be shaken off, can only be readjusted to serve as an
instrument of convenience or harm. from the Afterword by Albert Bermel