What does literary theory have to do with the way we treat one another? Dante's fourfold theory of interpretation came up this morning in a symposium on education I joined in. It is a schema Dante borrowed from theologians who had applied it to the study of scriptures. Dante dared to apply it to literature. As the theory goes, stories begin on a literal level, then are perhaps read on an allegorical or historical level. But the best stories can also be read on a moral level as well as, finally, an anagogical level. The last is the most difficult to grasp, something like a spiritual understanding of ultimate meanings. I first was introduced to this in college and use it regularly in helping my own students with texts. I get it. Maybe that was why my mind was wandering this morning. I know that some students struggle with going past a literal level in their reading. For some people, it is equally difficult to understand others. Some people simply cannot understand others on the higher levels. Perhaps that is why they react to others with gossip or recriminations (or insulting memes). It is too difficult to do the necessary work to understand the different sides of another person, the insecurities, nuances, or contradictions. And what that person could ultimately be.