At their core, perhaps people are not born evil. Human nature tends to lean towards kindness. But in reality, the corrupting influence of power and vast wealth can skew a person's moral compass significantly. The infighting between great families, and even the brutal conflicts within a single family, were commonplace occurrences.
Ethan Caldwell was no saint. He was not a pacifist who would refuse to hurt a fly. He lived by a very clear, pragmatic set of rules: his own interests must be protected at all costs, and the power he held in his hands would never be easily relinquished.
As long as Julian's actions did not cross the line into illegality or violate serious ethical boundaries, Ethan found them entirely acceptable.
