insults.

"Insults are mysteries. What seems to the bystander to be the cruelest, most destructive sledgehammer of an assault, 'whore! slut! tart!,' can leave its target undamaged, while an apparently lesser gibe, 'thank god you're not my child,' can fatally penetrate the finest suits of armour, 'you're nothing to me, you're less than the dirt on the soles of my shoes,' and strike directly at the heart."

--The Ground Beneath Her Feet