History Main / AilmentInducedCruelty

* In ''Literature/WutheringHeights'', Mr. Earnshaw was always a stern parent who favored the foundling Heathcliff over his biological children Hindley and Cathy. But during his final illness he becomes far more irritable, intolerant of any rebellion against his authority, and especially verbally abusive to the the wild young Cathy. This is made even worse by the fact that the weaker he becomes, the more his religious bigot servant Joseph is able to influence him and encourage him to "rule his children rigidly."

A person suffering from a long-term or terminal illness is under considerable stress both physically and psychologically, and this can adversely affect them in numerous ways beyond what their condition is doing to them. In some cases, their pain and degradation can cause [[TookALevelInJerkass a markedly negative change in their personality]]. They may become [[HairTriggerTemper extremely short-tempered]], [[ClusterFBomb foul-mouthed]], and/or spiteful, venting on whoever is in earshot, sometimes to the point that it's intolerable to be around them due to the constant venom. They may also do physical things such as throwing or breaking whatever's nearby, [[PottyFailure fouling their clothes and/or bed]], or even trying to physically injure people. This abuse may get to a point that their caretaker(s) decide that abandoning them, locking them away, or even going as far as a MercyKill or just straight-up murdering them, is the only way to get some peace back in their lives.

* ''Literature/PetSematary'': Rachel's older sister developed spinal meningitis. She lived in constant agony as the disease twisted her body, and as her medicine became less and less effective, she began to take it out on Rachel and her parents. She would deliberately [[PottyFailure piss in her bed]] and frighten Rachel by touching her when she wasn't looking with her deformed hands. By the time she died, her drugs were completely ineffective and she spent all her time screaming because of the pain.

* After being paralyzed in an accident, ''Series/AllMyChildren'''s Adam Chandler became quite rude and cruel to nearly everyone around him, including his much younger wife Gloria, though this was partly due to his genuine fears that he'd never be able to function sexually again. Despite Gloria's repeated efforts to assure him of her love, his relentless hostility resulted in his worst fears coming true and did indeed finally drive her into the arms of another man.

* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddnEddy'': In "Little Ed Blue", Ed mysteriously goes from his lovable oafish self to grumpy and even more aggressive than his infamous sister Sarah when a pebble gets in his shoe. It gets so bad that he vandalizes the playground's clumbing toy by ''eating the slide!''

* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': After a victim is infected with [[ThePlague the Rash]], they eventually start to become aggressive and are unable to recognize loved ones. On occasion, people close to the patient have attempted to break through to them, though they're always met with failure. [[spoiler: Tuuri]] chooses to commit suicide after her infection is confirmed, knowing she and everyone around her will only suffer otherwise.

* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': After a victim is infected with [[ThePlague the Rash]], they eventually start to become aggressive and are unable to recognize loved ones. On occasion, people close to the patient have attempted to break through to them, though they're always met with failure. Tuuri chooses to commit suicide after her infection is confirmed, knowing she and everyone around her will only suffer otherwise.

A person suffering from a long-term or terminal illness is under considerable stress both physically and psychologically, and this can adversely affect them in numerous ways beyond what their condition is doing to them. In some cases, their pain and degradation can cause [[TookALevelInJerkass a markedly negative change in their personality]]. They may become [[HairTriggerTemper extremely short-tempered]], [[ClusterFBomb foul-mouthed]], and/or spiteful, venting on whoever is in earshot, sometimes to the point that it's intolerable to be around them due to the constant venom. They may also do physical things such as throwing or breaking whatever's nearby, [[PottyFailure fouling their clothes and/or bed]], or even trying to physically injure people. This abuse may get to a point that their caretaker(s) decide that abandoning them, locking them away, or even going as far as a MercyKill or just straight-up killing them, is the only way to get some peace back in their lives.

* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddnEddy'': In "Little Ed Blue", Ed mysteriously goes from his lovable oafish self to grumpy and even more aggressive than his infamous sister Sarah when a pebble gets in his shoe.

A person suffering from a long-term or terminal illness is under considerable stress both physically and psychologically, and this can adversely affect them in numerous ways beyond what their condition is doing to them. In some cases, their pain and degradation can cause [[TookALevelInJerkass a markedly negative change in their personality]]. They may become [[HairTriggerTemper extremely short-tempered]] or spiteful, venting on whoever is in earshot, sometimes to the point that it's intolerable to be around them due to the constant venom. They may also do physical things such as throwing or breaking whatever's nearby, [[PottyFailure fouling their clothes and/or bed]], or even trying to physically injure people. This abuse may get to a point that their caretaker(s) decide that abandoning them, locking them away, or even going as far as a MercyKill or just straight-up killing them, is the only way to get some peace back in their lives.

* ComicBook/TheBoys: {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Tek-Knight (a CompositeCharacter of ComicBook/IronMan and {{ComicBook/Batman}}), who was found during his autopsy to have a fist-sized brain tumor. This caused him to have near-uncontrollable urges to have sex with almost anything he saw (not even limited to people either; his therapist kicks him out after discovering he'd had sex with the therapist's cup of coffee), although he was more or less able to restrain himself in public. He even came uncomfortably close to assaulting his KidSidekick Laddio.
* ComicBook/GreenManor: [=MacMunay=] is one of the regulars at the club where ExtremeDoormat George works as a waiter and is constantly abusive towards him, even threatening to have him fired. However, George doesn't hold it against [=MacMunay=], knowing his irritability is due to an old war wound. When [[FauxAffablyEvil Lord Virgil]] forces George to choose a man to be killed by Lord Virgil's assassin, he uses disappearing ink to write [=MacMunay's=] name and reappearing ink to write Lord Virgil instead.

* Happens to all three main characters in ''Literature/EthanFrome'': Zeena is implied to be this at the start of the story (although her case might also be DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery), and Ethan and Mattie become this after their BungledSuicide leaves him with a limp and her a quadriplegic.

* ''GeneralHospital'''s Jason Quarter Maine awakened from a coma after an accident with a personality that was a complete 180° from who he'd been before, resulting in him being quite rude and cruel to nearly everyone in his life, particularly his girlfriend Keesha, as well as suffering from amnesia that left him unable to remember anyone either. Even though his attitude and anger management eventually improved slightly, he remained mostly devoid of emotion.

* Literature/SherlockHolmes: The culprit in "The Sussex Vampire" turned out to be not Robert's second wife (who'd been caught sucking blood out of her child's neck) but :his son from his first marriage, who had a deformed spine and an unhealthy attachment to his father. This, combined with his hatred for his perfectly healthy newborn stepbrother, made him stab the baby in the neck with a curare-tipped dart.

* ''VideoGame/TheForgottenCity'': Rufius suffers from painful rheumatism which makes him surly and aggressive. Notably, when he's given proper treatment, he becomes a lot more friendly, and even apologises for his previous behaviour.

->''"Victims of long illnesses often become demanding, unpleasant monsters. [...] By the time the first set of sores crops up on a bed-bound patient's butt, he--or she--has started to snipe and cut and spread the misery. They can't help it, but that doesn't help the people in the situation."''

* ''Literature/{{Horns}}'': Merrin Williams' older sister developed an aggressive type of breast cancer, and wasted away to almost nothing as the disease ravaged her body. Her father describes her to Merrin's boyfriend Ig Parrish as "barely eighty pounds, and seventy of that was hate." She viciously verbally abused both Merrin and him, hating Merrin for keeping her beauty and her intact body while she lost her hair and breasts and saying that her father loved Merrin more than her and was glad it was her that was dying.

* ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'': Mary Shepherd-Sunderland, James' wife, contracted a terminal illness which left her bedridden and caused hair loss and damage to her skin. She suffered from constant pain, [[MoodSwinger frequent mood swings]] and suicidal depression, and would lash out in anger at James. He eventually smothered her with a pillow, although he [[RepressedMemories repressed the memory of doing so]] and has delusions that she's still alive which lead him to Silent Hill.

* ''VideoGame/TheForgottenCity'': Rufius suffers from painful rheumatism which makes him surly and aggressive. Notably, when he's given proper treatment, he becomes a lot more friendly, and even apologises for his previous behaviour.

A person suffering from a long-term or terminal illness is under considerable stress both physically and psychologically, and this can adversely affect them in numerous ways beyond what their condition is doing to them. In some cases, their pain and degradation can cause [[TookALevelInJerkass a markedly negative change in their personality]]. They may become extremely short-tempered or spiteful, venting on whoever is in earshot, sometimes to the point that it's intolerable to be around them due to the constant venom. They may also do physical things such as throwing or breaking whatever's nearby, [[PottyFailure fouling their clothes and/or bed]], or even trying to physically injure people. This abuse may get to a point that their caretaker(s) decide that abandoning them, locking them away, or even going as far as a MercyKill or just straight-up killing them, is the only way to get some peace back in their lives.

* Happens to all three main characters in ''Literature/EthanFrome'': Zeena is implied to be this at the start of the story, and Ethan and Mattie become this after their BungledSuicide leaves him with a limp and her a quadriplegic.

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Indexes: AngerTropes, {{Indexitis}}, TheJerkIndex, MadnessTropes