▁types ▁of ▁personal ities ▁who ▁exempl ify ▁the ▁nature ▁of ▁the ▁era . ▁ ▁The ▁problem ▁with ▁this ▁kind ▁of ▁argument ▁is ▁just ▁that , ▁in ▁defining ▁the ▁meaning ▁of ▁what ▁is ▁happening ▁in ▁society , ▁it ▁is ▁very ▁difficult ▁to ▁provide ▁definite ▁scientific ▁proof ▁that ▁this ▁meaning ▁is ▁the ▁objective ▁truth . ▁It ▁remains ▁an ▁interpretation , ▁which ▁may ▁make ▁sense ▁of ▁things ▁at ▁a ▁certain ▁level , ▁without ▁providing ▁the ▁whole ▁truth . ▁Eng els ' s ▁comment ▁illustr ates ▁that ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁character ▁mask s ▁is ▁not ▁inf re qu ently ▁used ▁in ▁a ▁po lem ical ▁way ▁to ▁describe ▁a ▁false ▁or ▁in authentic ▁representation . ▁ ▁Eng els , ▁like ▁Marx , ▁also ▁used ▁the ▁notion ▁of ▁a ▁" mask " ▁in ▁the ▁more ▁general ▁sense ▁of ▁a ▁political ▁" gu ise " ▁or ▁" dis gu ise ", ▁for ▁example ▁in ▁several ▁of ▁his ▁historical ▁anal ys es ▁about ▁religious ▁movements . ▁ ▁Marx ist ▁theories ▁ ▁Early ▁Marx ism ▁In ▁his ▁bi ography ▁of ▁Marx , ▁Franz ▁Me hr ing ▁refers ▁to ▁character ▁mask s , ▁but ▁more ▁in ▁the ▁sense ▁of ▁We ber ian ▁ideal ▁types ▁or ▁s tere ot yp ical ▁characters . ▁The ▁Marx - St ud ien ▁published ▁by ▁Rudolf ▁Hil fer ding ▁and ▁Max ▁Ad ler ▁referred ▁to ▁character ▁mask s ▁as ▁a ▁theoretical ▁category . ▁The ▁commun ist ▁dram at ist ▁Bert olt ▁Bre cht ▁made ▁extensive ▁use ▁of ▁neutral ▁and ▁character ▁mask s . ▁In ▁plays ▁such ▁as