Excerpt
Alan looked unconvinced. "The people I've met in the simulations have taught me otherwise. Often trapped by circumstance and treated with contempt, they are, over time, dehumanized- reduced to a brute level. Are they still responsible?"
"Circumstances must be considered," Joel said, "That's why we've been given reason as well as a moral sense. But it's interesting that you said 'dehumanize'. This indicates that you believe that the normal human condition is moral and rational. And to take away what is human lowers us to the level of beasts."