He often felt that too many people lived their lives acting and pretending,wearing masks and losing themselves in the process.

The line laments the social pressure to perform rather than to be: people “act and pretend,” adopting roles that win approval but gradually displace their authentic selves. The metaphor of “wearing masks” suggests both protection and deception—an outward persona that can become habitual until identity feels hollow or fragmented. Read this way, the sentence functions as a moral-psychological observation common in romantic and coming-of-age fiction: intimacy and self-knowledge require dropping the mask, while a life built on performance risks alienation, loneliness, and a sense of having been lived for others. Its significance lies in framing authenticity as a prerequisite for meaningful connection and personal wholeness.