Happy Face, Do we all wear one?

In the book happy face  a happy face is a shield and a hiding place. The main character, Happy Face is using his smile as a shield before he became Happy face his life was very traumatic and he decided to shed his shell and grow a smile. When the pressure began to pile on , The iconic Happy face shield began to crack revealing  The characters old self.  When he began accepting it  and stopped trying to mend the mask then he truly healed.

At some point in everybody's life  they have experienced something they would rather not say and tried to turn their backs on that experience and deal with it in their own ways.; Many people try to ditch the self that had problems and  become a different person. I my case my views changed. In fourth grade my best friend began being teased for acting "different" and having abnormal mannerisms if you catch my drift. But i stayed a  friend  to him and throughout his gauntlet to only end up fighting one on one and never speaking again. From then on my shell was snapped open and my mask was born. The masks duty was to protect and repel people that back stab when the are within range.  Like all other things the mask has worn away leaving bits and shreds here and there having finished its task.

Then again what i am really asking is...

 Do you have a mask, A Happy Face?
If you do, what unleashed it?
Do you regret having it?
Does it help you cope?
Does it affect those close to you?
 When you feel ready to cloister up Think about these questions, and then decide if its a good decision.