Evil is often rooted in jealousy. Knowing the depths of their own inability and cowardice, men turn to hatred to excuse their sin. Once compromised, these weak men conspire to ensnare others, rather than accepting the consequences of their behavior.
During WWII, Americans had the moral conviction to guide them through uncertain times, but I fear we as a nation have lost that foundation. I have often said that there could be no worse evil than an America without moral restraint, and we are close to that precipice.
I tend to doubt that jealousy was a motivating factor among the SS and I wouldn’t call them cowards. These were simply cruel and evil men with a value system utterly alien to Christianity. In the 50s my dad was stationed in Germany once again and he saw these old SS characters around the city. They weren’t the slightest bit regretful of their past actions, they were just sorry they weren’t still able to practice them.