Our family wears shoes in the house as part of being civilized. My neighbours downstairs leave their shoes outside on the doorstep for the same reason. Animal skin tied to your feet in order to be civilized and human, or as a shield to protect your body and home from unhuman dirt. When visiting my parents, they sometimes seem so much in work-mode, I imagine they will forget to take their shoes off when going to bed. But even so, never with your shoes in the bed! Civilization doesn't fall asleep when you do. This is a drawing from the 2008 Dutch literature festival 'Het Voorwoord' booklet, with 'on old people and things passing-by' for a theme.
