cruel people and sentimentality

One way cruel (ie. sadistic) people and destructive people live with themselves is to be sentimental- about old friends, past times and family. They do nice things for these people and get a nice warm feeling thinking about that because of its connection to their fondly imagined past. Perhaps they can be manipulated if you know their sentimental buttons. Those who are also paranoid as well as cruel may chose to direct their sentiment towards animals, inanimate things. A person who eschews all sentimentality is unusual. Sometimes a kind person is also sentimental, but kind, unobtrusive, actions tend to not go with the showy necessity of being sentimental (though some are secret sentimentalists). Politicians who imagine they can 'win over' a tyrant by connecting to his sentimenal side are usually wrong. Perhaps someone whose self image is "I'm basically a good guy" can be won over by such a connection. If the tyrant's self-image is "I am a hard man and I do whatever it takes" then only if he makes a fetish of loyalty can you connect with him. If a tyrant has no loyalty then only exteme intransigence will work. Co-operating with a disloyal tyrant will always be read as weakness.