Despair is the only emotion completely banned from modern life.
This is because it is the only thing which will prevent a woman going shopping. To this end, the latest video games, the Swiss Centre in Leicester Square, brightly coloured headscarves, and mobile phones that play Rachmaninov, are all employed in the relentless drive to keep everyone happy, buying rollerblades and No7 mascara while dribbling into open wallets. All well and good. You might even find you'd make some friends while you were at it - misery loves company and Fat Lukas, who sells chicken fat in the Arab quarter, never tires of crying into other people's beer. In short, the whole of the Eastern Bloc knows how to cater for the young, urban type who is feeling a bit sorry for him or herself, and looking for a small place to get fucked up in.