Smallville
The sad thing is it's been 20 years and people still don't understand grooming, gaslighting, abuse, or manipulation. I've read so much on Lana deserved Lex to hit her or the phantom pregnancy because she didn't realize he was evil. She didn't "allow" Lex to manipulate her for all those years they were friends. If you're friends with someone at a young age, you may not think them capable of certain behaviors. Especially if they are overly kind to you. Lex is overly kind, because of his need for close bonds.
He strangles Lex over their bank accounts and Lex is too afraid to tell anyone qhat happened. Even other residents such as the Kent's know of this abuse. They don't approach Lionel or tell Lex the truth. They also don't want Clark involved in saving Lex, incase his powers are shown.  Lionel begins forcing drugs into his son's food to get him institutionalized and brainwashed into believing Lionel didn't kill their family members. No one on the show talks to Lionel about these things. Lionel pretends like Lex and Lillian were crazy and he had to prevent them at all costs. However, he originally he goaded Lex into being evil. On purpose, for pleasure. He's never told off by anyone for these things.  Instead he tells everyone that he was only trying to prevent Lex from making mistakes.  Mistakes he encouraged not too long ago, in Onyx when Lex was all hardcore.  people like to say he was never evil and only misunderstood. Some people also victim shame Lex, saying he deserved the abuse because he's going to turn out evil anyway. The double standard of glossing over Lionel's sins while pretending he was handled properly. Just to say that Lana wasn't, although she was called out by Lionel and Chloe is a double standard that many fans participate in.
While experiences shape someone, in the end they have the decision to change. And Lex knows what he's doing is wrong, and has no intention of stopping. He begins to take pleasure in watching the experiments and torturing the subjects. He could try to change, but doesn't want to. In Freak, Lana becomes suspicious when meteor-freaks are being killed off. She knows Lex studies meteor-freaks, but doesn't think he's the one kidnapping them. Until the end of the episode, when he makes an obvious deflection and swear. Because it's become his nature to be this way. He gave hcg (human chorionic hormones) which are real by the way, because she was suspicious of whether or not his projects were really to help people or had ulterior motives. His goading Lana into trusting him, and constant need to compare himself to Clark showcases insecurities. That Lex might've had because of the way he grew up in an abusive household.
These views are forceful in not trying to understand the character's situations. I know women who have been abused by a partner they thought they could trust, because they knew them for years. It leads to a mental breakdown, which is what the character is meant to be going through. Just like I know children who are spiteful because they've been abused by their father or mother. People either change and decide to help others- (Lana's decision not to kill Lex and become a hero in 8) or stay in their depression and cannot change (Lex's decision to not change). It's not their true nature, it's a bi-product of abuse. Lex's destiny represents continuing the cycle of abuse. Lex killing his father out of rage represents this.
