Jan had been convinced since his childhood that he was destined for bigger things. He had heard it regularly as a mantra from his father. His father had pushed him hard. In high school, Jan managed to secure one of the coveted study exchange spots in the USA. Not that he liked it better in the USA than at home. He had some homesickness, and in class, he didn’t really feel accepted. However, after returning, he was able to shine with his English, and that year was invaluable on his resume. He studied law. After that came lean years with the bar exam, another trip to the USA for an LLM, and a doctoral dissertation. His father had insisted on it and financed it. At a time when his peers already had cars and were going on great vacations, Jan had to struggle financially. Earning his own money at his first law firm was a real relief for him. Finally, he was independent from his father. He was almost 30 years old and expected a cosmic start and a fairytale career. The reality, however, looked different: miserable long hours, and always working on weekends. To reach the top, he needed to be better than all the other internal applicants, and there were not a few.

After seven years, Jan realized that he would never make it in this law firm and decided to look for another one that would better appreciate his skills. He wanted to jump straight to the top. He was no longer willing to spend more years “proving himself.” It was tough, but he managed it. Finally, he was where he belonged. Finally, his father could be proud of him. But the results didn’t come as expected. He was rather unpopular among the employees and had fallen out with his colleagues. After a while, they suggested he leave the firm. Jan twisted the truth a bit and told his father the same story. He was too good for that firm, and they didn’t want to follow his standards. He had resigned himself to avoid damaging his reputation. His father believed him. Jan looked for a position at a large corporation’s legal department; he had had enough of law firms. It was a long search. Finally, he was able to start as the head of the legal department. His resume was excellent, and his experience was top-notch. Unfortunately, his dealings with people were a growing source of complaints. After just under two years, Jan was advised to look for another job. For Jan, this was bitter, but once again, he never considered for a second that the problem could lie with him and his personality. It was always the others who couldn’t appreciate his abilities.

He found a job with a canton. He was no longer the boss but an employee. He had to take a noticeable step back in salary. He went to a 50th birthday party. His father had passed away some time ago. For Jan, the death of his father was a dramatic emotional loss. After all, it was his father who had believed in him the most. Jan felt hurt, not taken seriously, and not appreciated enough. On Saturday, he was in town buying a new shirt. When he came to his car, there was a Ferrari parked next to him. The Ferrari was parked so poorly that he could barely open the driver’s door—maybe just a crack, but he couldn’t force himself in through that. He had to climb into the car like a thief through the passenger door and struggle to squeeze over the seat into the driver’s seat. Jan was angry at the world, at the rich, to whom he would never belong, and at all the successful people. He rolled down the window, took the Swiss Army knife from the glove compartment, and scratched a long line on the side of the Ferrari. A good feeling spread in his chest. Now he had shown the unknown Ferrari driver. Jan started his car and drove away with a great inner feeling.

Jan began to see himself as Robin Hood. He punished those he saw as “bad” and rewarded himself. This also included small thefts. Nothing of great value. Jan’s feeling that the world owed him something and that he was now taking it back gave him a sense of satisfaction. That was Jan’s motivation.

Jan was caught at his workplace after a long period of observation when he was caught again taking bread rolls without paying for them. Jan tried to talk his way out of it, but his boss asked him to pack his things immediately and leave the office. Jan is now unemployed and bitter. He still doesn’t understand why this happened.