There is a scene in Watchmen, which is perhaps one of the greatest artistic works in existence in any medium, that I am becoming increasingly reminded of.

Criminals don't like Walter Joseph Kovacs. Kovacs has spent nearly two decades making it his personal business to kill as many of them as possible. So when he landed in prison, many suspected that he was a dead man walking. A man by the name of Big Figure, who shares a long history with Kovacs, is in the same penitentury and is going to make sure that he doesn't live long. From outside the cell bars, Figure taunts him. The guards, the prisoners, the entire prison is under Figure's control. Kovacs just sits on his cot, unphased.

Several scenes later, Figure's underlings have been killed. As Figure runs away, Kovacs yells "You don't understand. I'm not trapped in here with you, you're trapped in here with me!"

I think of that every time I read articles like this.