They were small, brightly coloured, happy little creatures who secreted some of the nastiest toxins in the world, which is why the job of looking after the large vivarium where they happily passed their days was given to first-year students, on the basis that if they got things wrong there wouldn't be too much education wasted.

Summary

This quote humorously highlights the paradoxical nature of the small, brightly coloured creatures that inhabit the vivarium. Despite their happy appearance, these creatures possess extremely nasty toxins. The usage of first-year students to care for them implies that their lack of experience is inconsequential, as the creatures' toxicity levels make any mistakes relatively inconsequential in the grand scheme of education. This quote reflects how appearances can be deceiving and serves as a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the unexpected responsibilities assigned to inexperienced individuals.

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