Acharya Prashant explains that the fear of truth stems from an attachment to one's self-image and personality. People often become so enamored with the 'image' they have created of themselves or others that they reject the actual truth when it arrives. He uses the analogy of someone who is so obsessed with a lover's photograph that they refuse to open the door for the actual lover. This attachment to the image over reality is a form of ignorance where the symbol becomes a substitute for the truth.