Do manipulations absolve a cheater of any blame?

Dreamgirl, 4/5/2023, 5:47AM(390 days ago) @SonOfMan

Just a quick question. Consider this situation:
- X and Y are together
- M manipulates X
- X cheats on Y with Z or leaves Y for Z because of M's manipulations
- X learns the truth about M's manipulations
- X leaves Z and goes back to Y

Is X a victim or is X a cheater? I know each case has a few differences, but these situations are always similar.

- Last example was Ridge and Taylor. Thomas manipulated him. Thomas was wrong. But does the fact that Thomas manipulated absolve Ridge? Does it justify how he left Brooke and slept with Taylor, and then how he left Taylor at the altar? Does it justify his lies to both women?
- Another example is Liam and Steffy's kiss in Italy. Bill and Deacon manipulated them. Liam thought Hope left him, so he kissed Steffy and kept it secret in his vows. He learnt Hope didn't leave him after all and stayed with her. Do Bill and Deacon's manipulations absolve Liam and Steffy?
- Another example is Hope and Wyatt's lovemaking in Monte-Carlo. Quinn manipulated them. Hope thought her fiancee wasn't coming, so she slept with Wyatt and married him. She learnt Liam was there and later she left Wyatt. Do Quinn's manipulations absolve Hope and Wyatt?

Is this all the manipulator's fault? Or do the cheaters deserve punishment too?

No, the manipulations do not absolve the characters. They are to blame too for making stupid decisions. In the case of Liam and Hope they had a serious lack of communication. Each of them was quick to make an impulsive decision when they thought the other had let them down, without talking to the other first. The reason I blame Liam more than Hope for those years of the terrible triangle is because Hope eventually wised up to the manipulation. She left Wyatt and moved away. Now she doesn't even talk to him. Whereas Liam never, ever wised up to Steffy. He was actually the first one to let let her come between him and Hope. He never held her accountable for all the years of misery she put him and Hope through. He kept letting her into his life over and over again in spite of the damage she had caused. Even now he still has a soft spot for her. He will tell Hope that Steffy was wrong to give her an ultimatum but I have yet to hear him tell Steffy the same thing.

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