Hello!
In the title, I'm paraphrasing a quote I heard before, but the specifics don't matter. As far as I remember, the scene involves character A getting mad at character B for not smiling.
It plays on the idea that people are generally in need of a guide, and so they look at the other in search for direction.
A part of it is the duty of a person to maybe guide the other, to present themselves in such a way as to direct the other towards the right path. But I'm sure, if you dig deeper, there's also within it an obsession with looking into the guided's eyes, in order to present yourself in the 'correct' way for them, to lead them to success.
I'm very sorry if this post is not very clear. Essentially, I'm looking for books that either fit the quote, or that involve characters who are obsessed with 'guiding'. It doesn't matter if it's portrayed positively or negatively. If the 'guider' ends up becoming overly obsessed with their image, or becoming overly obsessed with the idea that any misfortune of the people they are 'guiding' is due to their failure to present themselves the correct way (self-personalization), or there is some other portrayal of identity crisis, that's also great and okay!
Thank you in advance,
by Awkward_Bike9812