How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Beauty and the Beast.
Quote #1
NARRATOR: As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope…for who could ever learn to love a beast?
The Beast has the mother of all identity crises. Once thinking of himself as a young prince who had it all, he now sees himself as totally repulsive. At least he's not kidding himself. He's trapped in a hideous body and doesn't even know who's in there anymore. His servants are his only connections to the person he used to be.
Quote #2
BELLE: I want adventure in the great wide somewhere
I want it more than I can tell
And for once it might be grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than they've got planned.
Belle's spiritual exile from the village stems from the fact that her identity is fundamentally different from that of the villagers. More importantly, they want to change her identity to fit their own ideas, something she has no interest in whatsoever. They can't understand a young woman who likes to read and is in no hurry to get married. She's very confident about who she is. Was adolescence easier back then?
Quote #3
GASTON: No one says no to Gaston!
Gaston doesn't have an identity crisis; he knows who he is, and he's perfect. Yeah, see, that's a problem, big guy. In fact, it's probably what makes you the villain. The villagers don't help by reinforcing this idea in the first place and letting Gaston get away with saying stuff like this.