Falsehood is a critical element in fiction. Part of the thrill of being told a story is the chance of being hoodwinked or taken.
“Every day he poured his question into her, as you pour water from one vessel into another, and it poured back. Don’t tell me he was painting his mother, lust, etc. There is a moment when the water is not in one vessel nor in the other – what a thirst it was, and he supposed that when the canvas became completely empty he would stop. But women are strong. She knew vessels, she knew water, she knew mortal thirst.”
Anne Carson | “Short Talk on Mona Lisa”