Coming out of Alice Jones's room, Scott Smith went into the bathroom without looking back, closed the door and turned on the faucet. Cold water flowed out, and he put his head under it and let the cold water rush over him.

A few minutes later, he stood up, looked at his wet self in the mirror, and breathed a sigh of relief. He felt much better now. His heartbeat was not so violent, his cheeks were not so hot, and his breathing was steady.

The play was fake, but the reaction in his body was real. He was a grown man who had been suppressed in Mohanland for several...