As proof of the universe's perversity, I have been grading high school essays discussing whether it is necessary to leave the comforts of family and friends in order to grow "as a person." Most of them gamely argue that such change yields maturity. Recitations of the benefits of going away to university--one learns to look after oneself--are punctuated by more personal reassurances that abandonment of home will also mean escape from compulsory piano lessons. The language seems a little strained, of course. When I was a child, I would tell my grandfather not to be afraid of the monsters that would appear on Halloween--they are only children, I would say.