specific ally ▁German ", ▁since ▁in ▁the ▁French , ▁English , ▁Spanish , ▁and ▁Italian ▁ed itions ▁of ▁Capital , ▁Volume ▁I , ▁the ▁term ▁" mask ", ▁" b ear er " ▁or ▁" role " ▁is ▁used , ▁but ▁not ▁" character ▁mask ". ▁But ▁since ▁" character ▁mask " ▁is ▁a ▁technical ▁term ▁in ▁theatre ▁and ▁cost ume ▁h ire ▁– ▁referring ▁both ▁to ▁physical ▁mask s ▁express ing ▁specific ▁characters ▁( for ▁example , ▁Hall owe en ▁mask s ), ▁and ▁to ▁the atr ical ▁roles ▁– ▁it ▁is ▁not ▁" specific ally ▁German ", ▁and ▁most ▁existing ▁transl ations ▁are ▁simply ▁in ac cur ate . ▁However , ▁H aug ▁is ▁correct ▁in so far ▁as ▁" character ▁mask " ▁as ▁a ▁soci ological ▁or ▁psych ological ▁term ▁is ▁rarely ▁used ▁by ▁non - G erman ▁speak ers . ▁ ▁Marx ' s ▁argument ▁in ▁Das ▁Kap ital ▁ ▁Marx ' s ▁argument ▁about ▁character ▁mask s ▁in ▁capital ism ▁can ▁be ▁summar ized ▁in ▁six ▁steps . ▁ ▁R oles ▁The ▁first ▁step ▁in ▁his ▁argument ▁is ▁that ▁when ▁people ▁eng age ▁in ▁trade , ▁run ▁a ▁business ▁or ▁work ▁in ▁a ▁job , ▁they ▁adopt ▁and ▁person ify ▁( person ally ▁represent ) ▁a ▁certain ▁function , ▁role ▁or ▁behaviour ▁pattern ▁which ▁is ▁required ▁of ▁them ▁to ▁serve ▁their ▁oblig ations ; ▁their ▁consent ▁to ▁the ▁applicable ▁rules ▁is ▁assumed , ▁as ▁a ▁necessity ▁to ▁succeed ▁in ▁the ▁activities . ▁They ▁have ▁to ▁act ▁this ▁way