Lunch at the Gotham Cafe -- Spoilers

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Scratch

In the flesh.
Sep 1, 2014
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The psychopath acts on their own desires with no regard for others feelings. Other people exist only to him or her as things to manipulate for those ends. They cannot place themselves in anothers position else they would never hurt them. They care very much for themselves. It would be very rare indeed for one to decide the world needs euthanizing and then do it because they are part of the world. Even the suicide bomber does what they do because they believe heaven awaits.

There are other forms of insanity but the violence done in those cases is more ancillary, more a side effect. Perhaps the maitre d' had one of those and could no longer distinguish internal from external but there is still a threshold of empathy to overcome if one believes others to be like ones self before you can stick a knife in someones head. Hatred can do it but I didn't see that in the protagonist though love can turn that way. Even careful reasoning can do it if a loved one is threatened. It's still quite a hump to overcome and the more empathy the higher the hump is.
 

Scratch

In the flesh.
Sep 1, 2014
829
4,475
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Hence my second paragraph. We don't know much about his position (other than someone he loved hated him) but his frame of mind was still good enough to save the life of his ex when others deserted those they were with. He saved her despite the utter witch she proved herself to be. She tried to kill him while he was saving her. He still saved her. That's pretty damn decent. The most she got for her behavior was a slap which he admited he regretted. HER behavior was homicidal. I would expect her to become like the maitre d' before him. He was at his worst and acknowledged it but at his worst he was miles ahead of her. And in the very end, after all he had been through at the hands of a madman, he had enough empathy left to ponder that mans circumstance rather than be angry at him.
 
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krwhiting

Well-Known Member
Jan 5, 2015
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Just read this today (it's nice being my own boss - I can read if I want to and if I'm not busy with work). Am still digesting it. Not sure what I think of it. Although I'm pretty sure I don't like the soon-to-be ex very much. Though I've seen people like that in my divorce practice.

Kelly
 
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GuesssWho

Active Member
Feb 11, 2013
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Gone Todash
I couldn't stand either of them, really. It's the way they're still more focused on complaining about each other than on the guy trying to stab them; I feel like Guy was in a way saner than they are. Sure, he's blithering and screaming, but at least he's got his priorities straight. They may be hallucinatory priorities, but his insanity is the most important thing going on, so that's alright.
 
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