Man i know it's a popular trope for a reason and it's maybe applicable in real life in some cases but the idea that there is a Secret True Evil Self lurking under someone's pattern of kindness and good deeds, and that if they act out ever this is the "mask" dropping to reveal their Secret True Evil Self, which is who they were All Along and everything else was Fake in order to Fool and Manipulate really sets my teeth on edge.
Is it a different logic than "if i put you in a situation designed to stress you out and that stress causes you to act badly or say something you ordinarily wouldn't, then you have proven that you are, have been, and always will be, a bad person"?
Disclaimer that this isn't about public figures lying about never having done anything wrong and anyway they've grown and changed and then it turns out they have been straight up lying the whole time about verifiable facts, did many things wrong, and there is no evidence of growth or change to be found. This is about the way people talk about both regular people and fictional characters.
