Niven declares, "Out of five Hugo Awards, this is the only one that surprised me." Yet "The Hole Man" is one of his most celebrated short stories and has enduring appeal to young readers. The center of its appeal, and the reason it won the Hugo, is probably its central conflict between two men. One is a bully and a teaser, while the other is intelligent but uncertain of how to behave himself in company, uncomfortable in a crowd. This subject matter echoes a common feeling among young adults and is easily recognized by them (the pain of ridicule, the fear of appearing foolish to others). Lear takes a psychological pounding that can be as severe in its pain as a physical beating; it is a pounding that continues everyday and from which there is.....
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