Sin is a thing that writes itself across a man’s face. It cannot be concealed. People talk sometimes of secret vices, there are no such things. If a wretched man has a vice, it shows itself in the lines of his mouth, the droop of his eyelids, the moulding of his hands even.
– Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 12. Basil Hallward doesn’t believe the rumors flying around about Dorian’s secret vices. He feels that such sins would be written on a person’s face and could not be hidden. Dorian’s beauty and youthful appearance convinces the gullible Basil of his innocence.