Yet, paradoxically, he has had an intense experience of love and regret that has changed him inwardly forever. His sadness at losing Linda and the guilt he feels for leaving her represent truly human responses in an inhuman world. Sensibly, the D.H.C. keeps the memory of Linda to himself for all the years he climbs the career ladder. The unexpected reminder of the Savage Reservation catches him off guard, leaving him vulnerable, first to fear of exposure and then to Bernard’s plan for revenge.

With the D.H.C., Huxley emphasizes the connection of fear of discovery with hypocrisy. Bernard’s exposure of the D.H.C.’s relationship with Linda and John, their son, gains most of its energy and comic force from the D.H.C.’s hypocritical denunciation of anti-social behavior. In this, the character and his public humiliation recall traditional unmasking scenes in fiction involving corrupt religious or other well-respected social figures. Still, the D.H.C. shows himself very human in the long-term emotional effects of his traumatic situation. Again, Huxley hints at the possibility of true feelings despite conditioning but undercuts the hope in the end.