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Damian, Emotional Walls and Kindness
In Damian's upbringing, there were no "nice people." He was raised among assassins and terrorists in a cut-throat world. He was spoiled rotten and was the little prince of the League, but he was by no means socializing and encountering nice people.
This has lead to a rather bleak view of the world. Dick describes him as "seeing a criminal in anyone who looks at him sideways", and it isn't far from the truth. Damian views normal children as a special kind of innocent, but he also sees the world as naturally corrupting. It is not uncommon for him to encounter kind people and assume they have ulterior motives, as no one in his life has ever been "kind" to him unless they were either expected to be or were manipulating him. As such, he looks at "nice people" with a sort of disdain, feeling that they are only nice because they're plotting against him or because they are stupid.
However, as he has managed to meet a number of "nice people" in Paradisa, he has reluctantly agreed that SOME people are capable of true kindness. He's found it hard to call foul on people who have posed no threat nor danger to him, so while he can argue with them, he finds it difficult to write them off as trying to manipulate him.
This doesn't mean that he doesn't try to, though; Damian has a lot of emotional walls to protect himself from hurt and loss, and he will often lash out at these kind people just the same. He may make accusations, suggesting that their actions or words are insincere or "naive", as if he sees corruption or potential for corruption in them that they don't. He may pass them off as bystanders or "uninvolved", informing them that they're incapable of bothering or harming him, or really "getting" to them. He may treat them like children, despite being a child himself, or he may be dismissive of their attempts to get to know him beyond a superficial level. Damian has serious trust issues that not even his closest relationships escape, and they only increase in magnitude for mere acquaintances and strangers. Even when he is honest about his feelings, he evades questions about his past experiences and personal history. He rationalizes that if they don't know him that deeply, they can't hurt him, and even if they DO know him well, he will try to tell himself that they don't know the "real" him.
Why does he do this, even when they have posed him no threat? He is quite unaware that he does it, and when it is pointed out to him, he is incapable of truly understanding why, either. Ultimately, Damian fears that he may be wrong in trusting that these people actually are kind, so he acts in a way that might drive them away and hurt them before they can do the same to him. This is often irrational, but his upbringing has left him with a rather disabling mistrust for people. To Damian, these actions are necessary and logical, though others may see it as confusing, defensive, or even paranoid.
In Damian's upbringing, there were no "nice people." He was raised among assassins and terrorists in a cut-throat world. He was spoiled rotten and was the little prince of the League, but he was by no means socializing and encountering nice people.
This has lead to a rather bleak view of the world. Dick describes him as "seeing a criminal in anyone who looks at him sideways", and it isn't far from the truth. Damian views normal children as a special kind of innocent, but he also sees the world as naturally corrupting. It is not uncommon for him to encounter kind people and assume they have ulterior motives, as no one in his life has ever been "kind" to him unless they were either expected to be or were manipulating him. As such, he looks at "nice people" with a sort of disdain, feeling that they are only nice because they're plotting against him or because they are stupid.
However, as he has managed to meet a number of "nice people" in Paradisa, he has reluctantly agreed that SOME people are capable of true kindness. He's found it hard to call foul on people who have posed no threat nor danger to him, so while he can argue with them, he finds it difficult to write them off as trying to manipulate him.
This doesn't mean that he doesn't try to, though; Damian has a lot of emotional walls to protect himself from hurt and loss, and he will often lash out at these kind people just the same. He may make accusations, suggesting that their actions or words are insincere or "naive", as if he sees corruption or potential for corruption in them that they don't. He may pass them off as bystanders or "uninvolved", informing them that they're incapable of bothering or harming him, or really "getting" to them. He may treat them like children, despite being a child himself, or he may be dismissive of their attempts to get to know him beyond a superficial level. Damian has serious trust issues that not even his closest relationships escape, and they only increase in magnitude for mere acquaintances and strangers. Even when he is honest about his feelings, he evades questions about his past experiences and personal history. He rationalizes that if they don't know him that deeply, they can't hurt him, and even if they DO know him well, he will try to tell himself that they don't know the "real" him.
Why does he do this, even when they have posed him no threat? He is quite unaware that he does it, and when it is pointed out to him, he is incapable of truly understanding why, either. Ultimately, Damian fears that he may be wrong in trusting that these people actually are kind, so he acts in a way that might drive them away and hurt them before they can do the same to him. This is often irrational, but his upbringing has left him with a rather disabling mistrust for people. To Damian, these actions are necessary and logical, though others may see it as confusing, defensive, or even paranoid.