"There are few things more dreadful than dealing with a man who knows he is going under, in his own eyes, and in the eyes of others. Nothing can help that man. What is left of that man flees from what is left of human attention"

This quote by James A. Baldwin speaks with the misery and hopelessness of a person who is facing the reality of their own downfall. It speaks with the powerlessness of the person in the face of their own failure, and the inability of others to assist them. It talks to the shame and embarrassment that includes knowing that one is going under, both in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. It speaks with the sense of isolation and abandonment that includes understanding that absolutely nothing can help them, and that even the attention of other humans is insufficient to save them. It speaks with the catastrophe of a person who is facing their own demise, and the futility of trying to leave it.