In Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Masque of the Red Death," a group of nobles wall themselves off from the surrounding country to avoid a devastating plague. Seemingly secure inside their fortified castle, the "elites" live in a state of luxurious indulgence, indifferent to the people suffering beyond their gates. While they throw lavish parties, the rest of their countrymen die miserable deaths. Eventually, however, the "Red Death" finds its way into their "safe space" and eviscerates their fantasy. And because the aloof aristocrats are trapped inside a fortress of their own making, they soon perish. This is a...