There were five of us in the car, on our way to a party. It seemed like a good time to introduce a groundbreaking social theory.

The vast generalisation was this.

In general, women experience more guilt than men. They feel guilty about breaking rules, neglecting duties, disloyal thoughts… Men don’t usually suffer in this way. Any feelings of disquiet and self-disgust are fleeting.

Women will share their guilt and commiserate with each other. In this way, guilt is passed on like hot potatoes (or neutrons from uranium-235). Eventually, the guilt is passed to a man and he will absorb it. Hooray, the chain reaction has been halted!

Conclusion: Men are the control rods of society. Without them, society will dissolve into a blubbering mass of guilt and self-recrimination.