Anger, like all other human emotions, serves many crucial functions. Anger tells you that others may be mistreating or taking advantage of you. When properly expressed, it may be a way of setting your boundaries and asserting yourself with others. Think of anger as a smoke alarm. When you hear a smoke alarm go off, you are often unsure whether there is actually a fire, or whether someone burnt the meat loaf. When there is a fire, the alarm doesn’t tell you how large that fire might be, or how to put it out. The alarm is only a warning – a loud, obnoxious warning, just like anger.