HBP's Potion book

[bridge13219]

No: HPFGUIDX 155591

> >   Cassy:
>
> >   Interestingly, Harry outlines several similarities between
Snape
> and Riddle. Perhaps one of the reasons for Snape to be accepted in
> the inner circle was that LV could relate more to him than to
members
> of wizard aristocracy, such as Malfoys or Blacks. That is, if we
> suppose that LV considers his followers persons, not simply tools.
> >
> zgirnius:
> I am sure that Voldemort considers his followers as simply tools,
and
> not persons. However, I think he does put in the effort to try and
> understand them as persons, the better to manipulate them, at
least
> until they are in so deep there is no going back for them.
>
> Voldemort is not really a devoted pureblood supremacist. He is
just
> exploiting the ideology to achieve his own goals. Snape being a
half-
> blood would not matter to Voldemort if he believed that Snape
would
> be a useful follower to have. I think his brains and talents in
> Potions and The Dark Arts/DADA do make him potentially useful.
>

Bridge13219:
I think some very important point have been hit on here.  First,
while LV probably doesn's care about the DE's as people so much as
tools, he does "take more seriously" (wrong turn of phrase but I
can't think of a better one now) the ones of mixed heritage such as
himself (which is why he marked Harry "as his equal").  I have
gotten the feeling that he enjoys the power he has over
the "superior" purebloods.

However, I tend to think LV doesn't try to understand anyone.  He
seems to use the same pat threat:  death to you and yours if you
don't do what I want.  What DD pointed out (at some point, don't
have books right now) one of LV's greatest weaknesses is that he
doesn't understand (or even try to understand) humanity; his or
anyone else's.  He doesn't believe in the power of love even after it
forced him out of Harry in the MoM, he doesn't understand the power
of a whole soul and on and on.  I think this will be very important
when it comes time to finish him off.