There was, it seemed, an element in their lives which ours lacked and which I found myself envying. It was not defeatism but inner peace. Stephen’s position as Patron of the Association, and my attempts to help as a fundraiser and volunteer, brought me face to face yet again with one of those ironies of our situation. Once more we were elevated to a pedestal and there we found ourselves aloof. We needed advice as much as anybody, but we could not seek it because the admission of our needs would have been a denial of the confident façade on which other people depended for boosting their own morale. The number of people blessed with the perspicacity to see behind that mask were not many. They included my family, Jonathan and his parents and a few exceptional friends.
— Travelling to Infinity (Jane Hawking), Loc. 4407–12