The-Conquest-of-Happiness-by-Bertrand-Russell

occasion to visit an aristocratic chateau.
Among average respectable women envy plays an
extraordinarily large part. If you are sitting in the
underground and a well-dressed woman happens
to walk along the car, watch the eyes of the other
women. You will see that every one of then, with
the possible exception of those who are better
dressed, will watch the woman with malevolent
glances, and will be struggling to draw inferences
derogatory to her. The love of scandal is an
expression of this general malevolence: any story
against another woman is instantly believed, even
on the flimsiest evidence. A lofty morality serves
the same purpose: those who have a chance to sin
against it are envied, and it is considered virtuous
to punish them for their sins. This particular form
of virtue is certainly its own reward.
Exactly the same thing, however, is to be observed
among men, except that women regard all other
women as their competitors, whereas men as a rule
only have this feeling towards other men in the