Do manipulations absolve a cheater of any blame?

Vik., 4/5/2023, 6:05AM(389 days ago) @Dreamgirl

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.

Hope only "moved away" from Wyatt because Kim's contract was up. When she came back 3 years later, Wyatt had moved on and never showed an ounce of interest in her again. Honestly, she waffled between Liam and Wyatt for as long as the brothers wanted her. Bell planned to continue this never ending triangle until Kim chose to quit. And if Wyatt was single and willing to reconnect with Hope when she returned (when Liam had Kelly with Steffy), nothing tells me she wouldn't have waffled between them again.

She never held Wyatt accountable for his lies and manipulations. He conspired with his mom, kept secrets, stole a diamond and she still married him. In the end, the only reproach she had was that he couldn't keep his mother away from her. I can't give her too much credit for that. Not a word about the way he treated his brother and how he stalked her and interfered in her relationships.

I also stopped seeing her (any anyone else) as a victim of Thomas' manipulations a long time ago. From the moment she learnt he knew about Beth and saw him trying kidnap her and murder Liam right in front of her, she should have never allowed him to be in the same room. I will continue to blame Thomas for his crap but I'm done feeling sorry for his "victims". Same goes for Steffy and all the idiots who keep forgiving him.

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