This is what blows me away. If I did anything that could be linked to any kind of serious harm to someone, I would be fucking devastated.

It’s almost like these people are aliens when you look at their ability to just not give a single fuck about anyone

It is a weird realization to understand that some people don't understand empathy for their fellow man. In many cases not simply don't have empathy, but don't understand it, like it is actually a foreign concept for them.

We see this when examining some dictators like Putin, that his entire view of international politics is shaped by this mindset that civilians are disposable pawns to be thrown away at the pleasure of those above them, and keeps making faulty assumptions of how other people will act based on this. The important takeaway I think is that when people immerse themselves deep enough in such cruel behavior, the cruelty eventually becomes second nature.