Elderly, who were previously accorded great respect, were cast aside by DK as useless, unproductive. Gender roles also shifted. Young women could be neary, female soldiers and female group leaders. Language changed with these shifts, deleting words from daily vocabulary that used to mark status, comrade replaces sir, using peasant terms for some basic words. In our study of cultures of Southeast Asia, these changes raise issues about the loss of culture and the loss of humanity.
Selflessness is the Cambodian ideal, generosity.
DK survival required hiding food, lying, silence, closing in on yourself to protect even your own thoughts. Robbing people of their lives.