Hiding the Hyde so justice is denied

We all know the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde story, presumably. Well, there are those who despicably hide their Hyde, and appear charming to the world to the point where their Hyde is hidden for our eyes and our experience only. Somehow, they get away with hoodwinking others and ‘showcasing’ their Hyde for our personalised service.

Such people are experts of their craft. It’s a game to them. “Who can I deceive? The smarter the person, the better. All the while, I’ll have my way with whomever I wish, and I’ll control the people according to the decrees of my situational whims.”

There are some who have such flights into anger, the experiences of which would hardly be calculable, especially when they’re so enchantingly charismatic as to be ever be thought of as disingenuous. 

Indeed, there are some we could not bear to believe as having the characteristics, let alone the disposition, to offend others. And yet, what we know is it’s the most charismatic, image-procurers who ought to attract the sharpest scrutiny of assessment. The very ones who seem like least likely to be abusers can actually be front-and-centre the worst tyrants. And the tragedy in this is the very ones who need to see it, can’t, won’t or don’t.

Those who hide the Hyde are devilish in their desire to rip to threads by exposure to isolation, in a “just you wait!” sort of way. There is a vengeful glint in the eye, a pursing of lips and glare that delivers upon the promise of misery at the opportune time. They save their deepest blow for wounds that will never show. The more they traumatise their victim, the more satisfied they feel.

Yet, there are many who cannot hide their Hyde whether they tried to or not. Part of it is their motivation; they have nothing malevolent to hide. Part of it is they don’t have the cunning of a perpetrator assassin. And part of it is an unconscious seeking to be found out—there is a justice in many of us that knows that there is an accounting, now or future, and we accept it. But not the person hiding their Hyde.

There is no sense being in a relationship with a person who hides their Hyde. Let’s face it, we all have one. But the person concealing their Hyde for maximal impact when nobody’s watching is a bully undeserving of relationship, let alone trust.

Those who hide their Hyde do so that justice would be denied to those who need it.

And those who need justice—for protection and safety—may well, and usually do, receive the injustice of accusations that reverse the polarity of the relationship; the persecutor gets sympathy in gaslighting their victim and the victim is maligned sensationally and heinously.

If we ever encounter someone besides themselves in confusion, these are the warning signs that something underhanded is occurring, even to the extent that someone who seems so “nice” may well be anything but!

Photo by Raj Eiamworakul on Unsplash