Oh? People actually think Jonathan Sims started out cruel and uncaring and mean and it was only through violence and loss that he grew to care? Are we talking about the same guy? The one who has been suffering from immense survivor’s guilt since he was 8 years old? It’s because of all that empathy that he acts like he does. He’s all tangled up in fear and a desperate need to be taken seriously, and he leans into the skeptic so so hard in a misguided attempt to protect himself, but I think he does it to protect others as well. He feels like he’s being watched all the time, especially when he reads the statements, and if he admits they’re real out loud, it could put these people in even more danger. And he’s not entirely wrong, denial is one of the main ways people escape the entities. If you’re too deep in denial to be afraid, the Fears lose interest. But yes, he lashes out, he can be cruel, but it’s all in a misguided attempt to protect himself and others. He isn’t cruel by nature, just look at his relationship with Georgie, they wouldn’t have been friends if he had. Maybe he could be worse if the circumstances were different, but I don’t believe he can ever truly lose that empathy. It’s the entire reason the Web chose him. Why would it have bothered to choose someone who didn’t want to try to save the world? He doesn’t know how to handle anything, but he tries, he tries so hard, and that’s the point.