What makes villains evil yet fascinating?

Have you ever wondered why most stories have someone cruel and mean, and why stories often seem incomplete without an evil force or villain? The story of Little Red Riding Hood has a big bad wolf, Three Little Pigs also has a big bad wolf, 101 Dalmatians has Cruella de Vil, and the Harry Potter series has Lord Voldemort (“He Who Must Not Be Named!”). We are frightened by them, and we hope that they are either defeated or changed for the good. This article provides insight into the personalities of such villains. Villains may actually reflect a hidden aspect of our own personalities, and their evil traits may even represent mental health conditions called personality disorders. These disorders are actually quite common in all human societies worldwide. We will provide behavioral examples of two personality disorders, antisocial and narcissistic, in Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series.