Cognitive Dissonance

Anyone who has missed something obvious, and later wondered how, will recognize the brothers in Parshas Vayigash. They stand before the second-in-command of Mitzrayim, and everything points to Yosef: his questions about their father, the seating from oldest to youngest, the dreams of bowing coming true. How could smart men miss all of it? And if Yosef wanted to stay hidden, why did he keep dropping hints? A Gemara in Taanis about a pasuk in Mishlei reframes the whole scene. The finish is a pilot who cannot tell sky from sea.