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I too encountered a perfect narcissist and i am surprised how similiar the pawnbroker is to him. That he genuinely believes he's the good person, and the victim, while being the cause of his own suffering , is so insanely accurate.

Manipulation. Exploitation. Obsession. Possession. Gaslighting. A brew of toxicity and destruction.

This novella is really dense for a story that is only 40 pages. I read it about 10 times on my commute during college. Brilliant work for bringing this video. Great work as always

This youtube channel is CRIMINALLY underrated

Robert Green too points out, in the laws of human nature, that narcissism isn't born out of ego, but rather out of a lack of it. In his view, the gap in their self image that needs to be filled is what makes them seek validation from the outside, while normal people get that same validation from inside them, from their self image or ego.

There's nothing quite like the moment when the relationship that confused you and made absolutely no sense suddenly makes complete sense from the framework of narcissistic psychology. From nothing making sense to everything fitting perfectly. Good riddance.

Dostoevsky is the one philosopher this world absolutely needs. Its almost as if he is present inside my head, he is describing line by line all negative thoughts in my mind. 😂

Life is too short and Its hard to find purpose in life when we're trying hard to stay in a narcissistic relationship. We have a choice!

People don't "learn" to love. They either love or they pretend.

Been in a rabbit hole of philosophy and your videos have been so helpful and informative

A Narcissistic parent is the worst kind everything they do is about themselves and they cruelly disguise themselves as beneficial to you i had a father who forced me into a boxing ring not for my benefit but for his own glory through you I was 11 years of age and when you are of no use or begin to suss them out they discard you like rubbish and then they become vindictive! my advice steer well clear of such people they seldom change! they are insanely destructive!

This video had me very uneasy all throughout. Their marriage mirrors that of my parents. There were several suicide attempts which I had to stop. Narcissists will destroy you in so many ways you'd prefer cold murder instead.

I believe that this video shall be watched by all women on earth!

Can listen about Dostoyevsky forever

Narc abuse is the worst !

I just don't understand how you're not getting millions of views.

I love the focus on Dostoevsky. He is by far my favorite author now

This video is genius. Pure genius. The most perfect dissection of the phenomenon of narcissism that seems so prevalent in modern society. Speaking as someone who played the part of the pawnbroker's wife, and thankfully diverged from her path before an untimely demise, this articulated perfectly all sides of the situation. Thank you.

It’s so important to love yourself & feel secure in yourself. Learning this will keep you safe from people with narcissistic behavior

What a gorgeous analysis. I was in a relationship much like during some earlier years of my life and as much as it’s disorienting watching someone you thought was being genuinely kind turn into someone you despise and fear- it is equally horrifying to watch yourself deteriorate in order to make things work. It becomes incredibly easy to deem yourself the “fixer” and try to find where things went wrong and constantly fight to get back to a more pleasant time when the person (like the pawnbroker) originally showed you kindness and care until you inevitably run out of patience and empathy for the “pawnbroker”.

A long story, but this character reminds me of a friend I once had. She always complained how she had been wronged her own life, then wronged others, and wondered why they left her. After telling her I didn’t want to work with her any longer on a project we had been doing for 3 years (because she simply couldn’t cooperate and would leave me to do everything) she cut all contact with me. I found out from another friend that she had “had enough” with me.

I'm soo happy I found this channel. I love listening to your videos while I'm working on something.

Thank you for another great video, it is so good that we can learn of these things and be warned about it, knowing the harms of self pity and self victimization and the way we may use it to justify our actions is good to learn and be careful of. There are other things as well, this one simply caught a bit more of my attention personally.

As someone who doesn't have much time to read and like essays I absolutely love your videos. I also like how you yourself admit you can be flawed, something many people aren't capable of doing. Ty for your work! (and the subtitles haha they're very useful)

Brilliant. Love your posts.

What a most wonderful essay, sir! Lots of love from Egypt ❤❤

You are fantastic! The way you can traverse logic, psychology, literature, math intelligently and entertainingly is a true and rare gift.

This reminds me of bitter old narcissistic parents who are dying alone in nursing homes because they can't understand why their children won't visit them after spoiling them for decades. Unfortunately , our society is becoming more and more narcissistic , and people are being more like this and I really don't like asking people for favors or doing favors for other people.

I love your work my friend. I think only by understanding ourselves can we see the world better and become a better person

I’ve already watched quite a number of videos you uploaded lately and also many of which on stories by Dostoevsky and I need to tell you You’re influencing me to go to the local library and get me those books. That’s a really positive influence. I can’t quite remember how I stumbled upon your videos, the algorithm blessed me. But I was never into literature channels and now I really enjoy warching your content and your enlightening analyses. I hope your channel prospers because you have a very engaging style of presenting literature

loved this. Very insightful as usual.

You are amazing man. Keep up the good work. You explain these amazing books effortlessly. Thank you!

The layers of depth of this video.

I feel really lucky to found your channel, you really makes eye opening videos, love you man keep doing it ❤️🔥

always delighted to see a new upload

Introspection is necessary so that one may look upon themselves and find out if the things they were thinking were really right. to look at the situation from a birds eye so we can make better decisions. there is also complaining and gratitude the man kept complaining, even though he had much for himself, he was trapped in his own head which lead to his own destruction. This is a wonderful and meaningful story. Thank you for always sharing the sources and author names.

This is alarmingly how I would describe the dynamics of my last relationship… my victimhood mentality arising from perceived unfaithful behavior on her part

I love your work! Thank you for amazing videos

Everything is so concise, I bet I'll be back thinking about this for a while, many thanks for the video!

Your content is so good. Definitely look forward to your videos ❤

Excellent job on analyzing this novella. Can’t wait for more! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Really good work, thank you!

Love your channel. Your mannerisms are adorable and you are very insightful. Keep it up, sweetie!

This guy is a master at speech, the eloquence and power of articulation is mesmerizing 🙏✨ I subscribed at once

Another banger! Keep up the work mate... Narcissism can turn out to be pure evil in someone's life & more so for the person being inflicted that mental harm from the narcissist. Writers like Dostoevsky makes it easy to digest such concepts

Very good analysis! Thank you so much from Russia with love to Dostoevsky.

Thanks for another great video

I followed you a few weeks ago and i love your videos, they really make me think

I set your videos to always show, this was very enriching. Excellent, I'm going through your videos now. I never thought of love as a tool for wickedness and I've done some of those things myself.

Work of art in human form with deep thought provoking subjects ❤ In love with your channel ..

this account is a hidden gem

This is great, thank you

I'm so glad I can read Dostoevsky in the original

Wonderful video. It hit me at the perfect time. Thank you so much for it! Much respect, and Please Come to Brazil.

One of the best youtube channels ever

Fantastic analysis. Subscribed!

Excellent video

Wonderful I’ll read it. For sure! Thank you

This completely highlights just how dangerous self-lothing is. As someone who struggled with it for a long time I can relate to this, thankfully my self steem is much better nowdays. Also, there's something about you analizing Dostoevsky that's just so entertaining to me XD Great video as always!

I want to watch this, but its reminding me too much of my father, having a hard time watching it in one sitting.

Great video really enjoyable, keep It up!!

Very interesting perspective. How are you so prolific with these insightful philosophical videos?

I appreciate the work you're putting up on your channel! I'd love to see your breakdown of Leo Tolstoy's Kreutzer Sonata. Much love.

Great video, spot on! Never read the book... that ish better be on the non-fiction shelf at the library! Or at least the survial/ self-defense section. Geez Louise! Poor inverted souls. Energy's scarce these days, waste no pity on those who have none but wishing ill drains twice as much. Never say die! ❤

Thank you

Damn, this was heavy

You rock dude.

Between this, Paradise Lost, and The Underground Man; it feels like the current zeitgeist and what a lot of forums are flooded with. Both people complaining about them, and complaining as them.

I found this channel a few days ago. I really like the narrations and the reflections. It surprised me that the subject of narcissism would be raised here, and still with the same passion and interest than in the other videos I saw. For the second time, we got a glimpse of the author's personal life. I wonder, unhealty curiosity maybe, what makes him relate to the pawnbroker, and wish him well.

Wow, so good

Just found your channel, it's great! If you are interested in narcissism, you might find HG Tudor (non fiction) interesting!

Broken makes a villian.

I think it's useful when analysing a story like this, and in life generally, to distinguish being nice from being kind. The former seems to be the perspective character's superficial attitude in the story. The latter has the preferred attitude baked in. Awaken Insight has a good video on the topic.

Banger

I've always thought of reading this novella, so I may as well buy myself a copy after watching this video!

Wonderful video!! This pawnbroker reminds me a lot of me 😅 keep up the good work

By The Underground Man (Ross Macdonald or Mike Jackson) I assume you meant Notes from Underground. I enjoy listening to smart young people as it gives me some hope for the future.

When you’re in a similar situation the information on the subject it’s jumping at you from everywhere… but not before that! I was discarded one month ago by my covert narcissist husband. It’s quite a ride but I’ll manage! I just placed an order for this book. It will be my first Dostoyevsky read because I was Team Tolstoy - I refused to read Dostoyevsky because I loved my Tolstoy… I’ll guess now that I begin a new life, Dostoyevsky for a new chapter in a new life…

This was wonderful! I'm seriously thinking now if the person who did this to me read the book and used it as a bible.

Great video again! Which translation would you recommend for this book/in general for reading Dostoevsky in English?

Love based on total domination is doomed to fail, as is love based on total submission. Sacrificing everything for someone who doesn't care will never make them love you, even if it destroys your entire life.

This was extremely painful to finish through. I felt for both the pawnbroker and the wife in this story. Humanity has so much potential for beauty and yet equal amounts of ugliness.

I’m writing a superhero character much like this pawnbroker. The narcissist that hides his malevolence and lust for power behind kind acts and acting as a good person. This helps me write the man even further

Excellent work! I think a lot of men want women because they think that love will them fix them. Stop all their pain. But they end up despising the women for loving the man they are disgusted, by. Themselves.

Things aren't logical sometimes and sometimes, you don't have the necessary clues to decide between left and right. You only know the right was wrong in hindsight. I used to be in a relationship where it started with her adoring me. It was fun to laugh with a person who was engaged and attentive. As time went on, fondness grew. (I feel like it's the most accurate description looking back. I don't want to accredit that time to insecurity.) The more I fell in love, the more I was infatuated. I told myself "If you truly love her, you should text her right away. Be as responsive as possible." Yes, I was romantic and the typical textbook definition of "good" to her, but my perception was off. I was a good companion and a friend, but not a good lover. I thought love was supposed to be two best friends who had feelings for each other, but it wasn't. I will take the blame for what I believed to be true, but it is the case that everyone is flawed. I wanted to treat her right, but that wasn't the correct choice for her. Was it completely my fault? Is it my fault for holding her responsible for her faults as an equal? Am I narcissist?

I read it on a volume that contained another narrative, I'm not sure what the English title for it is but it's about a dream a miserable man has after deciding to kill himself. I focused more on the latter, but now I realise how genius it is, Dostoevsky truly is a brilliant author and this video proves it. Good work!

Thanks for the videos. I wanted to know if you've ever read a book that addresses the following idea: there is no such thing as a successful plan?

The pawnbroker's saving grace is that he is conscious and calculating. What excuse do we have who are unaware of our manipulative behavior.

I encountered narcissists everywhere and it makes my intrusive thoughts on them worse😂

Your video has helped me to enter in the world of philosophy. I get enthusiasm with the explanations of yours. I too want to sink into the depth of philosophy like you. I haven't indulged with any of the books so far, but can you recommend some good books? I think I might start with existentialism or Dostoevsky's works.

9:25 Jean-Paul Sartre once pointed out

entire script is related the last 2 years of my life in some way & the notion "Love freely given vs love painfully extracted from an unviling participent" is reletable to me so much.

5:00 I’ve seen stories like this in Japanese otome light novels. A lot of them are based in medieval aristocratic culture.

I think ive seen a French film adaptation of this by Robert Bresson, Peau Douce? (Edit - une femme douce 1969)

I sadly feel as if i am the pawn broker , this feels as an explorations of my mistakes to never repeat them again

I love you 😔

My ex is a narcissist. Lowest forms of life! I love your videos. What a find you are :)

He's right that his life is cursed, but from within. His sick soul cannot see things as they really are.

Am I a narcacist "So i have crush on this girl and i always help with work and everything, And one day i was helping with math and after we finish i help them take their quiz paper to the teacher and another girl say thank you and then told my crush atleast someone is grateful" although from my view i never want anything from her why i said that is because i like mess with them and it meant to be a joke to provoke her. I dont know but it is similar to his first point.