THREE tired gods meet Wang, the water seller, on the outskirts of town. They have been on earth for some time seeking a good person, but have had no luck. They have handed down the principles of good, but so far, all they have found is cruelty, greed, dishonesty and selfishness.

Bertolt Brechts play, Der Gute Mensch von Sezuan, which he wrote during the terrible 1938-1943 years, opens with this fable-like introduction: the world is so dark and bru