The Sadistic desire to Play

There was a specific notion we brought up last class that really stuck with me, and that is how Anna's husband, and how Bluebeard, seem to keep their wives for the fun of getting the chance to let them fall into temptation. I say this, because I have heard a real life example of this before. There is a sort of dark pleasure in setting somebody up to fail, knowing that they will falter under the temptation placed before them.
In my Topics on War and Peace class, we had a verteran come in one day who told of us of a story he knew of while he was stationed in Iraq. To keep their base safe, the guards on duty were ordered to beat anyone who came close to the base without the necessary authorization. There were a few guards that would intentionally pull out a 20 dollar bill and place it under something or other in open sight. Then they'd step back and act like they weren't watching. Now, these guards knew that there were some poor kids who would act for that money. In Iraq, $20 can go a long way. The kids knew the rules that they weren't to approach, but after enough time one of them would fall into the temptation and try to take the $20 dollar bill. When they did so, the guards would come out and beat the kid with their guns, all for their own enjoyment.
I'm not saying this is ordinary or anything, but sometimes there are people who gain a dark satisfaction out of setting somebody up to fail. I think what these stories tell us if very accurately true, and though not always as extreme, these kinds of things do happen.