Sentence:  The preposterous altruism too!...Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites <WSD>warping</WSD> their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To twist or turn (something) out of shape; to deform.