Have you ever read “The Sociopath Next Door”? It’s about sociopaths in every day life. Most of them are not in jail. It’s written by a doctor, but not a dry read at all. It’s incredibly interesting. One of the main things sociopaths do is play on people’s sympathy and pity. In general if you feel sorry for someone, you are willing to give them a pass and forgive a lot of things.
I have that book! Yes, most never murder or even commit crimes punishable by prison time. I think there is such a thing as a Bad Seed...that it is inherited and upbringing (socialization) makes all the difference in how bad they get. Casey was never disciplined and was praised for tons of things she never accomplished. That was throwing wood on a raging fire.
Agreed, I read “The Sociopath Next Door” recently and really got a lot out of it. The pity card and their parasitic natures, the author described tells it. I read it on one sitting, it was so interesting.