“The most reliable sign, the most universal behavior of unscrupulous people is not directed, as one might imagine, at our fearfulness. It is, perversely, an appeal to our sympathy.”

Annotation

According to Stout, sociopaths don't disarm their victims by instilling fear in them. Rather, they catch them off guard by appealing to their sympathy and instinct to protect. By acting like a wounded animal, they are that much more effective in being predators. Their prey never see them coming.

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