I'm not sure it's fair to tag Berhnard with the views of his narrator.  What makes this extra crazy is that it comes right on the heels of the narrator looking at the only three photos he owns - one of his two sisters, one of his parents, and one of his brother just after learning of the death of the latter three, all of whom he detests, and musing on how the photos truly capture the essence of their subjects.  PS the 'elle' in the first quote is 'humanity' not 'they'.