Troubled Abuser: Difference between revisions
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The ways of dealing with [[Abuse Tropes|an abusive situation]] in fiction vary, to say the least, depending on the author's opinions, the type of abuse portrayed, and even [[Double Standard Abuse (Female on Male)|the genders of abuser and victim]]. Sometimes, it may be played for laughs, shown as not being a big deal, or portrayed as part of a loving relationship, despite the fact that the perpetrator's actions are clearly abusive, at least to the (aware) viewers. Other times, great care will be taken to detail the living hell the protagonist's life has been made by the [[Abusive Parents|Abusive Parent]], [[Sadist Teacher]], [[Domestic Abuser]], or [[The Bully]]. Their assailant might even be painted as a [[Complete Monster]].
But sometimes, you'll find out that the character who is notable for behaving abusively toward one or more others has a [[Dark and Troubled Past]] themselves. Maybe ''they'' were abused at one point in their life, or are presently in an abusive situation. Or else, instead of or in addition to having been the target of an abuser, they [[Harmful to Minors|saw something as a child they were not meant to see]], were [[The Bully|bullied]] and/or [[Rape as Backstory|raped]], [[Did Not Get the Girl]], have a [[Dead Little Sister]], suffered [[Generational Trauma]], or [[My God, What Have I Done?|did something that they'll never get past]] and may even [[The Atoner|be trying desperately to make up for]]. The '''Troubled Abuser''' is different from other abusers in that he or she has had (or currently has) a hard life themself in addition to making one of these for at least one other person. It may be a result of an [[Inferiority Superiority Complex]] or else a form of [[Being Tortured Makes You Evil]].
Compare this phenomenon to [[Kick the Dog]], except that the designated kicker was a Kicked Dog themself, making it Dog Kicks Littler Dog. If a writer ''really'' wants to play this up, he or she can have a whole ''chain'' of Dogs kicking down the line in this fashion. If a whole chain of these is used, you can reasonably expect it to be used for [[An Aesop]] about how abuse only begets abuse.
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