Shame is deeply social. It’s not about what you did, it’s about what others think of what you did. It plays on your public image, real or imagined. That’s what makes it such a potent societal mechanism. Entire cultures run on it — you don’t steal not because you believe it’s wrong, but because if your aunties find out, you’ll be branded as the family disgrace and mentally exiled forever. Shame is the invisible leash we wrap around ourselves. We internalise it so well, society doesn’t need to police us — we do it for them.