It has to be displayed, this face, on a more or less horizontal plane. Imagine a man wearing a mask, and imagine that the elastic which holds the mask on has just broken, so that the man (rather than let the mask slip off) has to tilt his head back and balance the mask on his real face. This is the kind of tyranny which Lawson's face exerts over the rest of his body as he cruises along the corridors. He doesn't look down his nose at you, he looks along his nose.

Summary

This quote describes how Lawson's face appears to be always raised, with his head tilted back, as if he is trying to prevent a mask from slipping off. The image suggests that his face has a dominant and controlling presence over the rest of his body, forcing him to maintain this particular posture as he moves. It also indicates that Lawson does not display a condescending attitude but instead gazes straight ahead, with a sense of superiority, without looking down on others.

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