" Parker had no pity for the two men, not after listening to them boast of what they’d done, but neither was he experiencing any sense of triumph, only a vague depression. It wasn’t entirely due to the nature of the case, although that was part of it; mostly it was a consequence of exposure to the workings of the legal system. Anyone who spent time in a courtroom emerged with scars. The only variables were quantity and depth. "

― John Connolly , A Book of Bones (Charlie Parker, #17)