Superficial charm, I thought. It was number one on Cleckley’s list and considered the primary trait of the “classic” sociopath, evidence of a glib, insincere interpersonal style. That was accurate. What nobody seemed to get, however, was that this wasn’t the offshoot of some voluntary deal with the devil. It was a coping mechanism born of necessity. I rarely used charm as a trick. Like others in my cohort, I imagined, I used it to hide, to conceal my sociopathy, spurred by the need to survive. Not because I was afraid, but because I knew others were. And what people fear, they eliminate. Or
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