History EvilCannotComprehendGood / Literature

*** Whenever Pavel's attempts at derailing Honor's career are twarted by high-ranked naval officers, he immediately assumes Honor must be sleeping with them. He simply cannot think of any other reason why these important men would defy him and support a low-born nobody, and certainly not because they simply realized that Honor is very competent.
*** On the profesional level, when the Manticore fleet is being chased by and taking fire from a superior Haven fleet, and just before their fleet was intended to disperse to minimize further losses, they detect the arrival of TheCavalry. Paval doesn't understand why the fleet commander won't order to disperse already, since the Haven fleet will soon spot the Manticore reinforcements and leave. Unlike Honor, he never even thinks that if the Haven fleet chases them a bit longer, they won't be able to avoid the Manticore reinforcements and can actually be defeated. He can only think in terms of his own personal safety.
** Honor's detractors among the Manticoran nobility and military frequently assume she's a glory hound.

* AM, the evil A.I. of ''Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream'' is programmed unable to feel or create, but it does have creative thoughts of destruction and torture. Which it does, because it can't see humans as anything more than playthings who are utter bastards that deserve the punishments it gives them. This is expanded upon in the video game adaption.

* ''Literature/MarvelsSpiderManHostileTakeover'': Bingham doesn't understand why Spider-Man cares for and protects people, rather than abusing his power to lord over and terrorize the city. He sees that as proof that Spider-Man in unworthy of his power.

** In the ''Literature/RevengeOfTheSith'' novelisation, Count Dooku is revealed to be incapable of comprehending things like joy and friendship, translating them into things like jealousy, pride, spite, and so forth. Kind of a subversion, because Anakin eventually kills him by calling on something he ''does'' understand -- ''[[TheDarkSide rage]]''.

** ''Literature/IJedi'': The ruthless Moff Tavira is certain that Luke Skywalker ordered the destruction of Carida because she can understand neither a willingness to forgo an ultimate weapon like the Sun Crusher, nor can she grasp mercy (let alone grace such as Kyp Durron was shown). [[spoiler:Corran {{exploit|edTrope}}s this tendency of hers later: he knows Tavira wouldn't dare let a superweapon like the Sun Crusher be destroyed and therefore also assumes this of the New Republic, so he uses the Force to make her imagine the Sun Crusher launching from the ''Errant Venture'' and ramming her Star Destroyer ''Invidious''. This scares her into retreating from an easily winnable fight, ruining her reputation among the SpacePirates she commands permanently.]]

*** Only a short while after hiring him, the t'landa Til priests think nothing of revealing to Han that Exultation and the entire religion built around it are a giant scam, and laughing at the stupidity of the pilgrims who have fallen for it. Admittedly they have no way of knowing that he's fallen in love with one of the pilgrims in the meantime, but it still says something about them that they can't imagine that anyone "strong minded" could be offended by the revelation.

** There's a straight example in Bob Ewell's response to Atticus's question about what he did when he saw his daughter supposedly having been beaten and raped. He says that there was no reason to call a doctor, as her wounds weren't anything permanent -- missing the point that ''she was hurt'', and ''he should have cared about her well being''.

*** Gandalf's plan to throw the Ring into Mount Doom hinges on Sauron being unable to understand his enemies. It's a running theme of the book: ''"Well, let folly be our cloak, a veil before the eyes of the Enemy... the only measure that he knows is desire, desire for power; and so he judges all hearts. Into his heart the thought will not enter that any will refuse it, that having the Ring we may seek to destroy it."'' This assessment proves correct, and Gandalf and Aragorn are thus able to bluff Sauron into concentrating his attention on Gondor, allowing Frodo and Sam to slip into Mordor undetected. And, indeed, the moment Frodo puts on the ring inside Mount Doom, making its location known, Sauron immediately realizes the depth of his own folly and how close his destruction is. (Of course, Sauron is also ''correct;'' Frodo fails, claims the Ring, and only Gollum acting as the SpannerInTheWorks saves Middle Earth.)

* ''Literature/VitaNuova'': The first GriefSong for Beatrice claims anyone wicked enough to leave that perfect lady unmourned must lack the mind to even picture her.

* ''Literature/TressAndTheEmeraldSea'': According to [[LemonyNarrator Hoid]], [[TheDragon Laggart]] was never shown any kindness or compassion is his life, and consequently believes everyone is just as selfish, ruthless, and cruel as he is. He genuinely can't comprehend the idea that some people are ''genuinely'' kind to others without any hidden motive. [[spoiler: When he realizes Tress is sparing his life, not out of CruelMercy or some kind of ploy, but because she's just a nice person, the realization sends him fleeing the room in terror]].

* In ''Literature/JustRevenge'', Prandus had - during UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust - murdered Max Menuchen's entire family, from youngest to oldest, Max himself having survived by accident. He believes that Max is capable of doing the same to his family.

** In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', Morgoth never expects the Valar to come to the aid of the Noldor because "for him that is pitiless, the deeds of pity are ever strange and beyond reckoning." To be fair to Morgoth... neither did anyone else because the Valar literally said they weren't going to help. Everyone sort of forgot that Ulmo kinda does his own thing, and also nobody reckoned on Halfelven shenaniganery.

* ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms''' has the situation surrounding the demise of the famed [[SuperDoc Hua Tuo]], as a case of "Suspicious cannot comprehend Selfless." Cao Cao ordered Hua Tuo to treat his headaches (modern scholars suggest the cause to be a brain tumor), and after his diagnosis Hua Tuo responded that he could treat the headaches with a grueling procedure involving cutting open the head, removing the malicious tissue, and closing the wound. Though this sounds gruesome, it is in fact a primitive yet accurate description of brain surgery. Having been the subject of assassination attempts before and therefore incredibly untrusting of everyone around him, Cao Cao instead assumed this was Hua Tuo trying to kill him in the guise of a medical procedure and had the divine surgeon executed in a fit of anger. Cao Cao's rash decision and inability to understand the altruistic nature of a medical man [[LaserGuidedKarma would come back to bite him in the ass]]. Having executed the finest doctor in the land, Cao Cao later had to watch his beloved son Cao Chong die of illnesses that no one else could cure, and would eventually pass from his own untreated tumors.

** In ''Literature/LukeSkywalkerAndTheShadowsOfMindor'', the BigBad ''thinks'' he understands, and at least is aware of them, but he vastly underestimates their power. Throughout the book, he goes on at length about how his particular flavor of TheDarkSide is greater than any other aspect of TheForce. When he puts Leia through a particularly horrible AndIMustScream until her defense breaks, the love she has for Han, even then, ''hurts'' him, and he's unable to get through it. In the final confrontation, a MindScrew-y sequence involving him being the ultimate black hole, he swallows Luke and angrily thinks that if any of the Jedi had ever even glimpsed the truth of the Dark, it would have snuffed their tiny minds like candles in a hurricane--

* ''Literature/BloodMeridian'': Judge Holden, the most cruel and depraved character in a story already full of cruel and depraved characters, seems to be honestly confused as to why would anyone oppose or disagree with his philosophy of perpetual conflict, murder and bloodshed. "War is God" and anything that opposes it must be destroyed. His pursuit [[spoiler: and ultimate killing]] of the Kid (who already was a murderous thug, anyway), seems to be waranted by his ability to still show some mercy and kindness, and failing to completely fall to his most violent urges, as others in the Glanton gang had done.

* ''Literature/BloodMeridian'': Judge Holden, the most cruel and depraved character in a story already full of cruel and depraved characters, seems to be honestly confused as to why would anyone oppose or disagree with his philosophy of perpetual conflict, murder and bloodshed. "War is God" and anything that opposes it must be destroyed. His pursuit and ultimate killing of the Kid (who already was a murderous thug, anyway), seems to be waranted by his ability to still show some mercy and kindness, and failing to completely fall to his most violent urges, as others in the Glanton gang had don.

* It's more Bigotry Cannot Understand Acceptance, but none of the citizens in ''Literature/ToKillAMockingbird'' can understand why a white man would not only father children with a black woman, but acknowledge them and live with her family. He has to pretend to be a drunk for them to accept it.

** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': Dumbledore and Snape suspect Voldemort has discovered Harry's ability to access his mind, and that he might attempt to do the same to Harry, or worse, possess him entirely. In the story’s climactic battle, Harry’s beloved godfather Sirius Black is killed and the grief makes Harry homicidally furious. Voldemort does eventually succeed in possessing Harry and the latter begs to be killed, but the thought of seeing Sirius again hurts Voldemort so much that his possession of Harry breaks--love and grief are like poison to him. [[HorryingTheHorror This all terrifies Voldemort so much that he immediately flees the scene and never tries to get into Harry's mind ever again]].