When I was in high school, there was a peer with a Napoleonic complex who loved to target anyone who stood out as "weak." One day, this lanky, glasses-wearing kid we'll call Brian, who, if you didn't know him, might think he was a complete nerd who would flee at any sign of conflict. An unprovoked verbal assault began following Brian up the hall. As the aggressor advanced, a particularly foul barrage of insults settled like a fog around Brian in the hallway.