Pleasure (plezh 'ar): an agreeable emotions; gratification of the senses or of the mind; sensuality; dissipation; a source of gratification; what the will prefers. Pleasure-pain principle: the principle that dominates the instincts, directing one's behaviour towards seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. Sin City is as much a book about human nature and its darkest sides as it is a history of lascivious vice - deviant sex, drugs, parties, greed, gambling and voyeuristic pleasure...Bettany Hughes takes London as a microcosm for the UK as a whole and explores the depths of our excess from Roman times through to the present day. Sin City is a fascinating and eye-opening trip through the ages. From Roman orgies to bestiality, from drugs to all-night Victorian raves, Bettany Hughes uncovers some seriously deviant behaviour, as well as demonstrating that some things never change.