Out in daylight he needed special glasses, like twin tiny antique cameras, and he ducked his head as he put them on, as if burrowing under a cloth. I was ashamed for anyone to see and ashamed of being embarrassed.”
The main character is ashamed of her father’s illness because it shows weakness that she doesn’t want to come to terms with. No child wants to see their parent suffering or sick. She explains how he, as a scientist, would talk about the illness in a fascinated manor only to talk about it less and less as the disease progressed. This shows the ever present fear in humans of losing one’s sense. Without sight, a very important element is missing from one’s life and they may feel as though they are useless, weak, or have no purpose.