" I suppose it is a bit cruel,' Ruth said, 'the way they always work him up like that. But it's his own fault. If he learnt to keep his cool, they'd leave him alone.'

'They'd still keep on at him,' Hannah said. 'Graham K.'s temper's just as bad, but that only makes them all the more careful with him. The reason they go for Tommy's because he's a layabout.'

Then everyone was talking at once, about how Tommy never even tried to be creative, about how he hadn't even put anything in for the Spring Exchange. I suppose the truth was, by that stage, each of us was secretly wishing a guardian would come from the house and take him away. And although we hadn't had any part in this latest plan to rile Tommy, we *had* taken out ringside seats, and we were starting to feel guilty. But there was no sign of a guardian, so we just kept swapping reasons why Tommy deserved everything he got. "

― Kazuo Ishiguro , Never Let Me Go