Basic Trope: A form of Hypocrisy where, to a character, a bad action is only bad when someone else does it on them, but is okay if they are doing it or doing something similar to others.
- Straight: Warlord Bob has a history of betraying allies & pawns when it suits his needs or when they are no longer needed, and mistreating those under his thumb. But he is outraged when his subordinate Dave & several of his men defect to the enemy, viewing & claiming it to be a grave dishonor.
- Exaggerated: Bob regularly does Evil actions such as Rape, Pillage, and Burn against innocent people. However, when a civilian hits Dave in the face in self-defense, Bob orders his forces to go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the civilian's family & community as a form of justice.
- Downplayed: Bob is angry at Dave's betrayal, but only because it is from Dave. Any other subordinate's betrayal would not enrage him.
- Justified:
- Bob has an incredibly selfish worldview.
- Bob has never been betrayed before in his life and doesn't know what it feels like.
- In Bob's mind, Dave's defection is different from the betrayals he did in the past. None of the allies or pawns were officially members of his group, and thus could be betrayed. But Dave was a member, and his defection is seen as dishonorable.
- Subverted: Bob wants Dave & his men dead... not for betraying him, but because they know too much about his operations.
- Double Subverted: But once Dave & his men are dead, Bob decides to display their corpses to remind others to NEVER betray him under any circumstances, even when he betrays them.
- Zig-Zagged:
- Averted: Bob doesn't feel angry or surprised at Dave's defection. He figured it may have happened eventually based on what the two went through.
- Lampshaded: "So it's perfectly acceptable if you betray your allies, but not when they betray you? You're a hypocrite!"
- Invoked:
- Defied:
- Deconstructed:
- Reconstructed:
- Played for Laughs:
- Played for Drama:
