The world of Plautinian comedy is governed by deceit and mistakes, which
forces characters to believe only in what they see with their own eyes and in
what they are able to learn from their own experience. Relying only on his
experiences, however, the speaking subject may at times extrapolate into his listener
characteristics that the latter will in no way recognize as his own. This
extrapolation which in truth pertains to the receptor's interpretation, rather
than to the speaker's intention, results in acerbic criticism from the listener.
