At another dinner, August accuses Marlena and Jacob of committing adultery and savagely beats them both. When he's in a bad mood, it's a totally different story. When things are going well at the show, August treats Marlena and Jacob to dinner and gives them both expensive presents: a diamond necklace and a gold watch. Think of the smart things August tells Jacob about the nature of the circus, about how they're participating in something that turns out to be nothing but "illusion" (7.204). He can be really sweet, even sexy, and if you're on his good side, he'll treat you royally. He's got a charming side, too, which is one of the reasons he's able to fool people for so long. One of the things that makes August such a good villain is that he's not bad all the time. But Jacob doesn't believe there's excuse for his behavior. At numerous points in the book, people try to excuse August's behavior by saying that he's a paranoid schizophrenic. He's a wife-beater, an animal abuser, and a downright cruel individual. He's the straight-up villain of Water for Elephants.
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