Blindness

In an unnamed city, a mysterious epidemic of 'white blindness' sweeps through the population, plunging its victims into a milky, sightless world. The first to be afflicted, a man stopped at a red light, sparks a chain reaction as the contagion spreads rapidly. Authorities, overwhelmed and desperate, quarantine the blind in an abandoned asylum, creating a volatile micro-society. Stripped of their vision, the internees are also stripped of their dignity, descending into chaos, violence, and depravity as food supplies dwindle and social structures collapse. Amidst this horrifying decline, one woman, the doctor's wife, inexplicably retains her sight but chooses to feign blindness to stay with her husband. She becomes the reluctant guide and conscience for a small group, navigating the brutal realities of their existence. Saramago's allegorical masterpiece explores the fragility of civilization, the essence of human nature under extreme duress, and the profound ethical responsibility of those who can see when others cannot.