8 I mean in historical reality. The “real” roles of ressentiment, hatred, and revenge are not instances of any general law about the psyche, but aspects of a “slavish” institution at a time. To deny that this restriction to historical time could be a possible explanation (because linked to something historically unique) is like saying we cannot discuss why Emma Bovary had an affair with Leon unless we see it as an instance of a general law about bored provincial housewives.