People
Your enemy is never a villain in his own eyes. Keep this in mind, it may offer a way to make him your friend. If not, you can kill him without hate, and quickly.
— Robert Heinlein ‧ Time Enough for Love
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The passage begins by asking an enemy to be understood from their own perspective, then abruptly allows killing if friendship fails. That turn gives its apparent tolerance a chilling limit: understanding another person's motives is separated from sparing their life.
Context reviewed