The art of our necessities is strange
That can make vile things precious.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 3, Scene 2. Lear remarks how strange it is that in a time of need a worthless thing becomes precious. Homeless and caught in a storm on the heath, even a straw-laden hovel has become attractive to the once-mighty and proud King, who invites Kent and the Fool to take shelter in it.