Wonderful piece that explains the narcissistic mindset and techniques without being heavy handed. I could really see how people “takes sides”, meaning that those who side with the narcissist do it out of sense of loyalty, power, and wanting to not be on the side of the “weak”. Keep others off balance with gaslighting. It was “good” to see a personal narrative of an idea tossed around and have it anchored to real life real people, too. Thanks much for sharing your story.