Refinements have been a feature in Ruby for several years now, added as a more structured alternative to the "scourge" of monkey patching, but it seems like almost nobody is using them. My question is this: why not? Are they a bad idea? Are they broken? Or do we just not understand them? Let's figure out once and for all what refinements are good for, and what their limitations might be, so that future generations can either use them for glory, or rightfully ignore them forevermore.