To survive peacefully in society we must behave in a socially acceptable manner. In other words, there is an art of peaceful coexistence and it has a definition that changes from person to person. Each person has a different vision of coexistence because each society has different norms and rules that we must follow. This leads to different visions of society. We learn to coexist by observing others, usually from our guardians and society. Yasmina Reza's play God of Carnage shows two opposing points of view on the topic of coexistence. Veronique is a civilized, hyper-aware, fair-minded liberal who believes everyone should be more concerned about people in need. Veronique spends the entire play trying her best to act amiable towards Alain and his wife, even though she is angry because the two believe them to be bad parents. Alain is Ferdinand's father; the boy who hit Veronique's son, Bruno, in the face with a stick, knocking out two of his teeth. Alain is a realistic and uncivilized man who couldn't care less about the situation and about either boy. Alain spends most of his time playing on his cell phone with work calls and not bothering to talk about the problem at hand. The two characters show two completely opposite opinions on society. While Veronique believes that Alain's son should be more guilty for his actions of hitting Veronique's son with a stick and "disfiguring" his face, Alain believes that his son is not guilty since his son is just a little boy. When Alain compares the two cultures of Western civilization and Africa stating that Ferdinand hitting Bruno in the face with a stick is not as bad as African children fighting with weapons and killing each other. Veronique dismisses the idea saying that they are nothing... middle of paper... personalities that fall between the two. People might coexist together peacefully for a while, but it is up to individuals to maintain the balance. It is up to societies' views on civilized behavior and the individual's environment in which they are raised, to make them coexist peacefully together. Works Cited “Are good manners a thing of the past?”. Psychologies, 24 July 2012. Web. Castelloe, Molly. “On the origins of morality”. Psychology Today, September 26, 2013. Web.Kaufman, Carolyn. "Because bad guys think they're good." Psychology Today, August 12, 2012. Web.Maisto, Albert A., and Charles G. Morris. Psychology: The Pearson Custom Library (Kingsborough Community College Psychology 11). Massachusetts: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2011. Print.Reza, Yasmina. God of carnage. Trans. Christopher Hampton. London: Faber and Faber, 2008. Print.