22. Small Acts Escalating Over Time
Often, evil does not begin with a single monstrous act but with minor transgressions that seem harmless at first. The foot-in-the-door effect describes how agreeing to small, questionable actions can pave the way for much more severe wrongdoing. Each step lowers resistance and normalizes the next, gradually eroding ethical boundaries. Before they realize it, people who started with innocent-seeming choices may find themselves complicit in serious harm—illustrating how the path to evil is often paved with small, everyday decisions.