They merely removed the performance, and let what was underneath appear.

And I have come to think that this is why I nearly lost everything: because I had spent years judging the people around me entirely by their performances, by how they behaved in the bright light of my attention, and I had never once thought to ask what they were when that light was off.

I judged Chloe by her performance and found her lovely.

I judged Marisol by her performance and found her forgettable.