How does the author use the title, Masque, as a metaphor?

The title, Masque, becomes a metaphor for the life Tristan sees around him. What masques do others wear? Who can be trusted to be what they really are? How can he learn what is behind the masque? What is behind his own? Tristan longs for a lost paradise of wilderness adventure and human relationships where people and events are straightforward and clear as his inner journey takes him from innocence to maturity through a fearful desert of horror, terror, and fear.