The setting of this story is more than a thousand years ago, maybe more than two. There is not much of a standard of being civilized in most of the world, so it is quite common to be uncivilized. There is only one group of people that would hope to call themselves civilized, though they are being challenged within their own prideful claims to be so.

That which is uttered in the wood and in the field, might as well be uttered behind prison walls, as it is not heard.  Many injustices and reprehensible  acts echo throughout the valleys, but the sounds only return to self ...and the sounds are as detested as the acts. 

But that is the horrendous result of unacceptable passivity, tolerance, and a denial of all forms of guilt on anyone's part.

When something that should be thoroughly confronted as unacceptable is ignored ...it becomes the part of ourselves that we angrily deny is any part of our responsibility, or doing. And somehow we feel that absolves us of our guilt, though we are really being part of that which we are not actively against.

Yes, some detest the sounds, and try to wish them away. Some detest themselves, because they are taught to. The victims are taught they must not oppose the way of the world.

And some detest themselves, for only a moment, not knowing what to do ...and temporarily paralyzed, doing nothing. Perhaps a moment later, they still don't know what to do, but they decide they must do something.

Those in torment ...wait.  They don't even know these kind of people exist ...who'd bring relief, or a message of salvation.  And they don't have much hope. They begin with merely living each day ...to dreading each day, and each moment.