Somehow, violenceslips back and forth through the interstices between family and soci­ety.

Each transition occurs within complex networks of feedbacks and feedforwards, with the result that violence may be amplified, maintained, or reduced, even when not di­rectly addressed. The dynamics of personal violence may be regulated through abstract notions of honor and shame, through concrete practices and feelings such as reprimand, humiliation, fear, and politeness, and through the intervention of persons standing in cul­turally significant role relationships, such as fathers, mothers, and godmothers—all com­ing up for attention in the following chapters.