Great Uncle Fred? My best friend Alexander`s Dad has only got one eye and when you see him for the first time, you just freeze. But then he`s dead nice and showed us how to build a go-kart and made us biscuits. My Mum says that people are like what they look like, but that`s not true, is it? (Dek, Spring 2008)

Just because your friend`s father startles you on first sight but turns out to be a lovely fella, does not mean that people are not like what they look like. Perhaps you misinterpreted the evidence. Having one eye, or any other unusual feature or missing item of face-furniture, is not relevant to this question. I bet the remaining eye has kindness in it. The thing is, people`s faces develop in response to the reactions that their personalities produce in other people. So people have to be, to a certain extent, like what they look like - a face is a record. Mind you, it might be mentioned that many monstrosities in recent times have been committed by people with perfectly agreeable, even friendly and attractive, faces. I suppose your face might be able to conceal certain aspects of your nature but, after a certain age, up to a point, yes, you are what you look like. It can`t be helped.

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