vi

Rocky is the giant baddy that Adrian pulled out. Adrian is probably half a Rocky.

man...

It often reads like a plot-convenient way of having a character change their mind without having to do any of the actual work or spend any actual time on what it means for them to change their mind. But it also often rings false--we know for a fact that people with deeply held beliefs are often not convinced no matter how much evidence they see to the contrary, much less because one piece of evidence was presented to them.

As you said though, it takes work and time. Usually a person is presented with information that gradually undermines their beliefs until one thing fully convinces them. Others may be exposed to a new idea only once, but then dwell on it until they've developed a new mindset. Still others can be convinced to change their mind immediately if the evidence presented creates a contradiction in their belief system. Using the example given, being abused seems normal to the abuse victim, but seeing others neglected/abused is clearly unjust. I don't know the book or how they portrayed this part of it, but it could probably have been written quite realistically while still being entertaining if the author had given it more thought.

Imagine if someone totally renovated your house and turned it into a mini theme park - they took away your sleeping space, where you prepare food, where you clean yourself and get ready for your day, and replaced it with things that will please people who are visiting, who have their own homes they can go back to, who are here not for their entire life but just as a distraction from their otherwise mundane existence. It’s not that you hate theme parks, it’s not like you’ve never been to a theme park and vow to never visit one again. It’s just that you need to live! To survive! And the leisure of those who have more than you should not invalidate your existence.

well