Board Thread:False Info and Speculative Discussion/@comment-11533671-20140912050918/@comment-19765459-20140912193631

Jestermonkey4u wrote: Peter isn't Chaotic Evil. He is most fitting as Lawful evil.

"A chaotic evil character does whatever his greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drive him to do. He is hot-tempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent, and unpredictable. If he is simply out for whatever he can get, he is ruthless and brutal. If he is committed to the spread of evil and chaos, he is even worse. Thankfully, his plans are haphazard, and any groups he joins or forms are poorly organized. Typically, chaotic evil people can be made to work together only by force, and their leader lasts only as long as he can thwart attempts to topple or assassinate him." []

"A lawful evil villain methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his code of conduct without regard for whom it hurts. He cares about tradition, loyalty, and order but not about freedom, dignity, or life. He plays by the rules but without mercy or compassion. He is comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve." []

No. Peter's behavior is not dissimilar to that of most demon lords and princes (exemplars of Chaotic Evil).

The fundamental difference is whether the code of conduct is personal as opposed to external. A character who makes their own rules is Chaotic. A character who follows rules derived from an external source is Lawful. A character who alternates between the two and/or applies both is Neutral.

Peter only follows his own rules. This is why he tends to remain a bit distant even when he is pretending to be helpful. He does not want to be ensnared in the pack system or any kind of orderly structure unless he is the one making the rules (i.e. the Alpha)! Also note that while his plans are often well thought out, they do tend to contain numerous variables. Biting Scott and nearly killing Derek being good examples. Likewise, not doing anything to mentor Scott with the Argent's in town, and receptive to the idea of killing him if he seemed like an uncontrolled werewolf, was also demonstrative of allowing for variability and improvisation.

Derek observed this fact in Peter not promptly assembling a pack after becoming an Alpha. Scott and Lydia were almost random selections. Stiles would have been a logical choice, yet Peter passed on it arbitrarily (Scott would have been no more willing had he been offered the Bite, instead of Bitten without consent). Jackson was actively seeking it, yet Peter was not inclined to give it. That was one aspect of being an Alpha that Peter seemed to have trouble with, or at least be very random about. Note that the perfect target from a revenge perspective would have been Allison. Biting her (and there were a lot of opportunities in S1) would have either given him a Beta that had no choice but to stay with him, or else forced the Argent's to kill their own daughter. A more Lawful thinker would have jumped on that, instead of simply screwing with her a bit the way he did.