"There's another farm up the way that decided to kill their chickens -- and I think it was last week that they slaughtered the last one," Eddie says. "To them, the meat was more valuable to sustain themselves. And when springtime comes, they'll probably come here and ask me to sell them a couple chicks."

He shrugs. "It's not what I would have done. It's not what I'm doing, obviously. But I'm not going to refuse their business if they come to me. Some people do raise and love their animals, and would be very emotional if they were forced to choose -- kill and eat this chicken or goat to survive, or starve? And for others... there's no conflict. The animal isn't sapient, and people are. The survival of a person is worth more than an animal."

Eddie rests his chin on his hand and contemplates Jean for a moment. "Does that make sense?"