Adjective: callous
Feeling no emotion, feeling or showing no sympathy for others; (a callous indifference to suffering )
I encountered this word in the beginning of “Quicksand” and was one of the words I wanted to use for the project. This is was shown when Helga Crane and Dr. Anderson were having their first conversation. He mentions that “Most people achieve a sort of protective immunity, a kind of callousness, towards them”. He was stating how no matter which community it was, there would always be problems and lies.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/callous
In this glossary entry, you write about the passage, which is helpful. Can you quote more of the passage, though, so it’s clear who the “them” is? Incorporating that into your explanation, too, will make the glossary entry more informative. Your final sentence can say more so that it’s clear how people’s callousness forms this protective immunity, and what its effect is.