" It was a mistake to think of them. He felt a sob rise in his throat and swallowed it down; he could not see his plate.
He could not cry. There was no chance he would be treated with compassion. Dap was not Mother. Any sign of weakness would tell the Stilsons and Peters that this boy could be broken. Ender did what he always did when Peter tormented him. He began to count doubles. One, two, four, ...He tried doubling again and lost it...It was gone. Start over again. All the doubling he could hold. The pain was gone. The tears were gone. He would not cry.
...
The touch of kindness in this frightening place was enough to push someone over the edge into tears. "

― Orson Scott Card , Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1)