[Seeing that Marcello lived in a world where there was plague, famine and hunger, he seemed to have a hard time understanding how both were ungrateful about food. The monster had no sense of self-preservation, then? As Frillish drew over to Hilda, he thought it was being rewarded with admiration for acting like a spoiled child.]

Then let him go hungry, by all means. A spell of hunger and I hardly think he would object to eating anything at all.