Talk:The Heart/Quotes (Dishonored 2)/@comment-16533050-20171020195820/@comment-26199726-20171023110735

Well, one (fear, superstition, ignorance) tends to feed the other (wickedness), I suppose. And it has only been in the past few years that the new Duke has been feeding those tendencies while almost systematically weeding out any kind-heartedness and sense of responsibility among his subjects. The society the Heart shows us may indeed be unsustainable in the long run, but there'd be some time before all the stability and wealth Theodanis built completely evaporate and the city falls to ruin. And it hasn't been that long.

On a different note, the "good" or plain neutral Heart quotes are indeed rare beyond reason, but there aren't that many that are truly and severely damaging to society, either. Naturally, the guard who steals sweets from the bakery or beats his wife when dinner isn't ready or the overseer who has an affair with a married woman aren't exactly nice people, but I don't see them making society crumble. Serial killers, rapists and the like don't exactly make up half the population, and most of the "evil" quotes are relatively minor crimes or simple, ugly pettiness.

Also, the Heart doesn't tell us everything (despite protestations of the contrary). People do evil one day and show kindness the next, and one quote will rarely show all the complexities of the situation. For example, it revealed no redeeming quality about Daud, and either didn't see the remorse and shame that ate at him, or didn't want to tell. Whether it is a cynical outlook Jessamine adopted over the years of her half-existence or her vision is obscured by the evil that permeates the streets, there may be more to most of the small stories she tells.

The mother that beat her daughter so heard she lost her hearing may regret it to her last day, and buy the girl a treat every week she can afford it. The overseer who has an affair with a married wife may know he's doing something wrong, but can't help himself because he's so hopelessly in love. The captain who bullies the new recruit may do so because the man treats his colleagues poorly. The man who steals from the bakery may do so to get a thrill of excitement in his life of otherwise boring, upstanding righteousness. Of course, the same goes for the "good" Heart quotes, but you take my meaning: Not every one with an "evil" quote is rotten thorugh and through, and some of them might actually contribute to society.