A bear broke into a pasture and mauled some lambs, until the farmer drove him off with a shotgun.

As he fled, the bear told himself an injustice was being done to him and all his actions had been justified. “For,” said he, “the lambs fled when I came into the pasture, which of course hurt my feelings very much. When I clawed them, their bleats were painfully loud. That was rude and violated important norms of civility. And there is nothing to be said about the farmer, his levels of aggression and violence are unspeakable.”

Moral: The wicked and the predatory blame their actions on their victims’ response.