“Craig? Overdid It.”

Jacob’s irritation at the sight of someone else’s bruise is not compassion: it is the reaction of an owner who found a scratch on his property. In his picture of the world Simon is a possession — and the line was crossed not by the one who hit, but by the one who touched what is his.

This feeling is jealousy’s ugly relative, and it gives away the main thing: Simon is not “an empty space” to Jacob but the most guarded thing he has. An owner’s violence is often mistaken for feelings. The difference is simple: feelings care about the person; the owner cares about control over him.