Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons,
Halloween and the Politics of Perception
It’s Halloween night.
The night of masks, inversion, and blurred lines between what’s real and what’s play-acted.
Somehow, my thoughts drifted to Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons. A title that itself feels like a mirror, or maybe a trap; two extremes forced to coexist.
That’s what Brown does best: he mixes sacred and profane, science and faith, good and evil, and lets the reader sit uncomfortably between them. You realize that neither side owns the truth; it’s all in the framing, in how we interpret the mask.
And that, in a strange way, is exactly what Halloween represents. We wear costumes not just to hide, but to reveal; to play with identity, to show the hidden archetypes we normally suppress.
Angels, Demons, and Politics as Play
Later that evening, talking with my daughter Nadia, who’s seven, I realized this theme isn’t just literary or philosophical. It’s practical, even essential. We try to teach her that people with bad intentions may look and act friendly—they present themselves as angels. And the opposite is also true: those who seem stern or intimidating can turn out to be the kindest souls.
It’s a lesson in perception, and in trust; because the real monsters rarely wear the scary masks you expect.
That same principle extends far beyond Halloween. It’s in our politics, our media, and even our social interactions; the way narratives are dressed up or down to earn trust. And lately, I’ve been thinking about it in terms of social deduction.
Games like Secret Hitler, One Night Werewolf, or Avalon capture this beautifully. You never know who’s who until it’s too late. The tension comes from inversion—the feeling that everything might be the opposite of what it seems.
Which brings me to a darker thought.
Behind the Centrist Smile
If I were a far-right strategist in today’s world and wanted influence without the label, what would I do? I wouldn’t start another extremist party. I’d infiltrate or even create a centrist-looking progressive party—one that preaches tolerance and renewal but quietly advances a right-wing agenda from within.
Like in Secret Hitler: Fascists pretending to be Liberals; angels on the outside, demons underneath.
That’s the real inversion game: the collapse of opposites, not just in fiction or politics, but in life itself.
So on Halloween night, as kids run through the streets dressed as monsters, witches, and superheroes, I can’t help but smile at the irony. Maybe the truest thing about this night is what it teaches:
Never trust the mask alone.
At least not until we have the Soul Camera, right?
What's on your mind?