From a distance, you hear the website's creator Riona calling to Trevor: "Hey, we need a Robert image for this page."

"It's fine," Trevor calls back. "Just use the same one. They won't notice."

You ask Robert to tell you something he admires about each of his fellow members of the drama society.

"All of them?" Robert asks, frowning. "Let's see. Well, Sandra's easy enough: she's a talented actress who understands that more is more, and that 'less is more' is a lie put about by those who resent that they have not been blessed with acting skills."

He begins counting people off on his fingers. "Vanessa can act when things are going well, meaning that she is perfectly solid for the first four seconds or so of a production. Jonathan is similar: a perfectly capable actor under specific conditions that are, unfortunately, rarely met."

He pauses. "Chris... can occasionally act, I suppose. The less said about his directing, the better. Annie is admirably enthusiastic and, in her occasional role as Chris's assistant, is open to ideas that Chris himself might unreasonably shoot down."

Another pause. By this point, he is beginning to struggle.

"Max showed admirable judgement in signing up for my evening acting course," he says at last. "Trevor should, I suppose, be applauded for his dedication as a stage manager. It can't be easy to motivate oneself in a role that is ultimately uncreative and meaningless."

He takes a deep breath. "Dennis... hmm. Dennis... well, Dennis offered me space in his home when I was living in my car." For a moment, he's uncharacteristically quiet. "It was motivated in part by self-interest, of course, because he now benefits from my company and wisdom. That said, well, I suppose it was a kind thing to do. I appreciated it."

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