On: Vernor Vinge has died

[int_19h]

It's both. On one hand, he is aware that one of his valued subordinates "needs" to regularly murder people, and doesn't consider it an issue so long as that subordinate remains productive and is kept in check to avoid "wasting resources".

But there's also a record of him personally torturing and raping one of the captives for the sake of it - which he keeps around, presumably to rewatch every now and then.

[smogcutter → int_19h]

Thats right, I forgot about Nau’s enforcer (whose name escapes me atm).

Anyway I think the point remains - after that point, the reader is meant to understand that the emergents self-serving justifications are just that.