I also like how they potrayed his sister- She still turned a blind eye and prioritised her own house over doing what was right. She knew her family relied on underhanded means and still stood by them. She saw the abuse Slan was facing as a sad but ultimately justified cost. Even her decision to marry Slan away was never about improving his conditions; it was about solidifying Lister’s position first and foremost. She only ever truly tried to fix things when there was no more room left to benefit (when she saw Listers undoing and the fact her house was on borrowed time and her being unabe to change things)
The downfall of their house was never about Slan; it was about who they were as people. The way they operated never allowed space for a real, strong foundation. Everything was built on avoidance, pride, and short‑term self‑preservation, so collapse was inevitable.
She represents a less acknowledged but equally harmful form of abuser: someone who may recognise the harm being done and even sympathise with the victim in front of them, but whose choice to enable the situation makes them just as complicit as the "main villains".
The way the auther writes a realistic abuser with lister, from listening to people who have abusive parants it’s not always bad, there’s good moments with abusers, and that is what makes it so dangerous, lister is generally the worst character and I hate him but he’s written very well, I hope I see him dead.