Have not men, shut up in solitary imprisonment, found an interest in marking the moments by straight strokes of a certain length on the wall, until the growth of the sum of straight strokes, arranged in triangles, has become a mastering purpose?

被单独囚禁的人，不也曾以在墙上画出一定长度的直线来记录时间为乐，直到那些排成三角形的线条不断增加，成为支配他们的目标吗？