If in the room they had felt at all judged, guilty, or shameful, there were no such emotions on fight night, with gloves on their hands and an opponent’s face the target. It was, to them, just another mode of expression, punching people. It was no different than what the others were doing in the rooms, only easier and less risky. Better yet, by the time Garcia and Benn returned to the ring to express themselves, they were greeted not with silence, as in the rooms, but a wall of sound – applause, cheers, roars – which mitigated the threat of them being left alone with their own thoughts. All they had to do to capture this serenity was beat up the opponent in front of them. Do that enough times and they would soon be returned to their old selves. They would be reminded less and less of their past transgressions and their defects of character, rather than removed, would be used as selling points. A win-win, you might say.
