This Snape hater accepts Snape is good-ish

[houyhnhnm102]

No: HPFGUIDX 138010

Rebecca:

> BUT, please consider, for all that Snape bullies and enjoys watching 
> people suffer humiliation, he does not seem to take pleasure in 
> physical pain. 

houyhnhnm:
I don't actually see Snape as sadistic, even verbally, in spite of
what Rowling has said about basing him on a sadistic teacher she had.
 Umbridge is sadistic.  Snape's verbal cruelty has a number of payoffs
for him --1)classroom management--it's easier to control students with
fear than to earn their respect, 2)relief from the enormous amount of
psychic energy it must take to keep all that anger under control,
3)projection and momentary relief from his own self-hatred; but I
don't think enjoyment of others' pain is one of the payoffs.  I think
he is indifferent to the feelings of others, a grievous enough sin in
and of itself.