Through tattered clothes small vices do appear.
Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks.
Arm it in rags, a pygmy’s straw does pierce it.
– William Shakespeare
King Lear, Act 4, Scene 6. Continuing his passionate attack on human justice, Lear says to Gloucester that the rich can afford to use the facade of robes and furred gowns to conceal their true intentions and deceit. He paints an image of the false and hypocritical justice enjoyed and operated by the rich and powerful. In this world justice is dependant on social class and power. In his madness and misery Lear has a heightened understanding of how justice operates in his kingdom. He realizes the hypocrisy of his court, where money and power can conceal wrongdoing and injustice.