In Shakespeare's play, Gloucester and Lear, two characters with different forms of disability, are intertwined in conversation. Gloucester is blind, yet he recognizes Lear and asks to kiss his hand. Lear, the blind one, does not recognize Gloucester and "smells" his hand incorrectly. This inversion highlights the connection between madness and philosophical insight. Lear's insanity stems from his existential insight, which applies to every situation. Shakespeare's staging of an interaction between two forms of disability burlesques the nature of human interaction, as they fail to communicate even when one overcomes their disability.