temptations
Screwtape advises Wormwood to use this romantic phase in the patient's life to quietly plant seeds that will bloom years later into domestic hatred
What is courtship?
Screwtape notes that during courtship, mutual devotion makes people eager to do this for one another, creating an illusion of selflessness
What is sacrifice
Screwtape refers to this type of resentment that builds up quietly during courtship and explodes into hostility later in marriage
What is a grudge
Rather than true Christian Charity, hell’s "Philological Arm" encourages humans to pursue this negative virtue focused on personal sacrifice and going without rather than making others happy
What is "Unselfishness"?
Screwtape highlights that a person infected with hellish "unselfishness" insists on sacrificing their own desire, not to make the other person happy, but to achieve this moral goal
What is feeling righteous
Women often use "unselfishness" to take on tasks for others so they can later make this subtle claim during an argument
What is "look at all I’ve done for you"
Screwtape explains that women define unselfishness as taking trouble for others, while men define it as this
What is not giving trouble to others
When both husband and wife try to be "unselfish" by yielding to each other's supposed preference, it often results in doing an activity that this many of them actually enjoy
What is neither of them
Men view unselfishness as leaving others alone, which leads them to express their anger through this quiet behavior rather than outward fighting
What is withdrawal