Miriam's pessimistic worldview in The Marble Faun

"The chasm was merely one of the orifices of that pit of blackness that lies beneath us, everywhere. The firmest substance of human happiness is but a thin crust spread over it, with just reality enough to bear up the illusive stage-scenery amid which we tread. It needs no earthquake to open the chasm. A footstep, a little heavier than ordinary, will serve and we must step very daintily, not to break through the crust, at any moment. " (The Marble Faun, XVIII)
So Miriam says. If one's present happiness in any sort is made up with such a "thin crust," we really need to be careful to handle. You don't want your loved ones to leave you without telling you any words. -- We'll finish reading this text tomorrow in my class. Let's see how the final presentation and discussion go.