Do you know what Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars, Iago from Shakespeare’s Othello, Lord Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish from Game of Thrones, and, for example, Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs have in common? That’s right, they all once pretended to be the nicest people to gain others’ trust, but then inevitably revealed their true colors.
Such characters are usually called “wolves in sheep’s clothing” in folklore – but in fact, we can encounter such people in everyday life. No, of course, they don’t shoot lightning from their fingers or eat people for lunch – but that doesn’t make them any less unpleasant or scary. So today’s collection of stories, made for you by We, is dedicated to just such kind of folks.
More info: Reddit
#1
My exMIL was super nice to me even after her son and I split. She supported me living with them, going back to high school and being a part time waitress to pay for diapers and such. She stayed home and looked after baby. Then one day came home and she said “the adoption’s in progress!” Like just expecting me to be super happy she wanted my baby as her own! I moved out, got on welfare until I finished high school and spent the next 7 years fighting her for custody. Her son was a minor figure in the court battles.
#2
Gentle, sweet, shy guy. Bit neglected although clean. Funny and attentive even if ‘odd’.
Eventually moved in with him. All going well until we were doing an online science quiz together. I got a question right that he got wrong. He completely lost it, called me stupid, told me that the quiz was wrong, my education was terrible. He went on and on and after I tried to argue back he insisted that I apologise to him and reduced me to tears. He could switch so quickly that I never knew what would set him off. He would also detail all the ways that I had failed after any social interaction such as a meal with friends.
I grew up in a very dysfunctional family and endured four years of similar behaviour, gaslighting and a major mental breakdown (mine) before finally getting away. He also tried to persuade me to k**l myself.
#3
I kinda have a story for this. I was working on a team doing tech work on devices. We all sat in the same general area, but due to seating constraints, my desk was off to the side away from the others.
We get a new guy on the team and he is the friendliest guy ever. He’s so polite. He even stopped me in a hallway and randomly gave me money to use at the snack machine we were standing by.
End of the day, he leaves and the team is talking about the new guy. Im like “oh he’s great right?” Everyone looks at me like I’ve grown a second head.
Apparently he was a huge POS, refusing to do work and even stealing food from coworkers literally on his first day. He was the son of some big shot salesperson up the corporate ladder, and I guess he mistook me for a boss because of my seating arrangement. He was sucking up to me while being a POS to everyone else. He was fired the same day he was hired. Who knows if sucking up to the correct person would’ve helped.
A few months ago, a thread appeared on the AskReddit community, the author of which, the user u/ShadowlightLady, asked netizens: “What was your experience encountering a wolf in sheep’s clothing?” Yes, there are not so many stories there today compared to some viral threads – only about 200 comments – but reading these stories is actually quite useful.
After all, even if you’re lucky enough to never encounter such people in your life, who knows what the future holds? So, being able to understand the kind of person trying to become your close friend (and they almost always do) will definitely come in handy.
#4
My dad and brothers . . They stole all of my stuff while I was laid up with stage 4 cancer and on on chemotherapy. I am talking like an ENTIRE farm operation. We share the same name and he just pretended to me. My dad was then caught having the assets while on SSDI and the state took my land, farm, farming implements, and livestock for his debts. Despite me going all the way to the Idaho Supreme Court, which ruled that I was right, but then carved a HUGE exception for the state to take it away from me.
F**k Raul Labrador and the entire state of Idaho.
#5
It was my friend. She was there for me after a bad breakup—always checking in, always so “supportive.” I thought she genuinely cared. But over time, I realized she thrived on my pain. She’d subtly put me down, isolate me from others, make me feel like I couldn’t trust anyone but her.
By the time I saw it, I felt completely alone. She wasn’t a friend. She just liked having control over someone weaker.
#6
My brother, kind of. He’s been good to me for the most part. We collaborated a lot when we were younger. I edited all of his papers from undergrad to law school.
But I always knew he was a wolf. I just didn’t know he’d do it to me. While in the doldrums of my career, I was working for my dad. My pay was based on the profits of the store I entirely ran with some residuals from some other parts of the business; none of this was written in a formal contract, but rather several informal agreements based on trust. One year I nearly made more than $100k. I told my brother this, thinking he’d be happy for me.
Noooope. He was upset I was going to make more than him. So he called my dad and convinced him that if he continued with my “sweetheart deal”, dad could be sued by my other siblings, so I got a massive paycut. This is of course nonsense. The only person who could sue dad was now me for breach of contract, as the agreements were firm enough for a courtroom.
My dad told me about the call from my brother but I asked my brother and he lied and said that dad was confused.
I decided to quit and started looking for a new job. Told my brother this and he sent an email to try to convince me to stay, arguing it was beneficial for me, but somehow I was able to see that he was just trying to protect his inheritance, as I was supposed to be running the store after dad retired, for the benefit of all the family.
The final straw was when I asked him for patent advice a few months later and he gave the one piece of advice a lawyer would never give: “file it on your own **and don’t hire a lawyer**.” He’s been blocked since. That was about 2 years ago and I have no intention of changing anything.
The very concept of a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” is believed to originate from Jesus Christ’s legendary Mount Sermon: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” At the same time, the concept itself, apparently, is even older than Christ, as there’s a fable by the ancient author Aesop about a wolf disguised as a sheep in order to sneak into a barnyard.
Since then, this definition has been actively used by many authors, from Shakespeare and Molière to Lucas and Martin. And we, having realized that we’ve been shamelessly manipulated for a while, also use the expression “wolf in sheep’s clothing” for former friends, acquaintances, or even significant others.
#7
An old friend, he was perfect straight A student in high school, had the best gf, was the best looking, was also super kind and polite, poor but did the best he could, held charity events, sent money to those in need. Few years later hear how he was arrested for m*rder, and during the trial a lot of s**t came out about how he would r**e some of the children in families he helped raise money for. Sometime during his trial he k*lled himself, been 2 years.
#8
My biological older half brother I had never met before played victim and freeloaded a whole Vegas trip off of me and my family (not his). He had this dorky clumsy helpless energy to him that was warm but also pitiable so people would help him out and spot him for a lot of things. He was the type to show up to a dinner or something with no money, sit there and sadly say “oh I don’t need anything I got food in my bag back in the room” until someone offered to pay for his sushi.
I confronted him about these antics one night after noticing a pattern and his whole demeanor just disappeared and what was left was this cold, sinister look like I just saw the mask slip. He flatly stated he had no idea what I was talking about before jumping right back into his cheery expression. Never felt so creeped out by a person. We ended up getting into a fight the next day and I kicked him out and told him never talk to me again, I don’t care if we share a deadbeat father, you are nothing and no one to me but a parasite.
#9
Men who wanna “help” a young lady.. only to manipulate her and make her dependent on him.
Interestingly, such manipulators, skillful and not so, are found not only in personal relationships but also at work, in school, and in sports. For example, I personally heard this description applied to Aaron Rodgers – that he allegedly learned everything by sitting behind Brett Favre, and then, when he gained strength and skill, pushed the former Packers starting quarterback off the team.
Well, that was just a fan’s take, and to correctly identify the person in this case, you need to be well-versed in the situation. However, if you’re, for example, an experienced employee, and a younger colleague is actively trying to gain your trust and adopt both your hard and soft skills, then who actually knows? Perhaps you should be wary of them?
#10
“Anna” was the leader of a Christian group I volunteered with as a college student. She was extremely happy all the time to a point where it began to feel forced. One morning I was supposed to volunteer packaging meals at a food pantry, I woke up sick and called off. A couple hours later, she emails me in all caps calling me things like “SELFISH… UNRELIABLE… UNABLE TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH WORK”. Multiple paragraphs. Mind you I didn’t want to package food while sick. Also it was for volunteer hours not “work” so there was no issue with calling off. Anna calls me in privately to her office “hear my explanation why I couldn’t make it”. In – person she was super nice again and pretended like that wasn’t her sending the unhinged email. The meeting went fine but I avoided her from then on out.
Months later, she was fired for a series of issues but mostly allegedly having an affair with one of her student volunteers the same age as her kids.
#11
I was dating this Japanese international student who moved here by herself at 15 to attend private school (I met her when she was 20)…Her dad was super polite and liked to get on the phone with me and do his best to speak to me in English, to thank me for bringing her to my family’s home for holiday meals etc. Really sweet guy. He even hosted my friend at his vacation property when he found out I had a friend traveling through Japan. My friend said “He’s covered in tattoos and rolls with an entourage of very polite but dangerous looking guys. He’s a Yakuza boss.” My girlfriend never directly confirmed that he was Yakuza because she said she didn’t know about his business but she mentioned he had tattoos and that he always traveled with an entourage.
#12
Narcissist a*****e ex. Some family still talked nice about him years after the breakup, missing him, etc. They didn’t all know about all the a***e (nor do I or did I feel comfortable sharing specifics) but by that time in my healing journey I put my foot down and told them he was a horrible person and a*****e and they were never to speak of him like that again in my presence.
The most important thing is to recognize such behavior early, experts say. And then, if your suspicions are quite correct, simply resist their manipulation. If they’re trying to coerce you into acting aggressively, just stay calm. If they’re trying to present themselves as your only devoted friend, then question their flattering words.
After all, such people may not only try to cause you obvious harm. Some simply want to “feed off” your life energy, to make you experience strong emotions so they can “recharge” from them. Don’t give in to this. However, not everything in this life is so bad.
“Don’t lose hope. Not everyone is a wolf. In fact, there are far more sheep than wolves – people who genuinely want the best for you, celebrate your wins, and offer constructive feedback. These relationships are worth pouring into,” this dedicated post at the Shine Blog claims reasonably.
#13
My ex-wife used me having cancer and epilepsy to manipulate me. Thankfully I divorced that oxygen thief. I’ve remarried and both of us are very happy.
#14
Dated a guy who preached on the street during the day and and beat me at night lol.
#15
I had a coworker who was pretty nice. Friendly, got along with almost everyone. Then i learned quickly, he would work really really hard to push the blame onto someone else. Like if something went wrong, and he was only even 1% responsible, he would bust his a*s to not be in trouble. One time, there was a problem that would have resulted in a small discrepancy. He tried to blame it on me and another coworker, despite the fact that we logged everything and fully counted stuff with documentation.
After that, i would start doing hidden watermarks so he couldn’t lie to pass the blame.
Well, let’s hope these stories, on the other hand, don’t destroy your faith in humanity. After all, you shouldn’t succumb to pure paranoia and see every person who tries to befriend you as a cunning and wily manipulator. Perhaps it’s worth simply opening up to them – and, as Humphrey Bogart once said, “This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
But in any case, now that you’ve read all these tales, you’ll be better informed about what might be happening and how best to proceed. You’ve already read these stories, haven’t you? Then what about dropping a comment or even sharing some interesting story from your own life experience?
#16
Catholic school, sister Clementine, was a real piece of work. Sister Regina at the next school was cut from the same cloth. Let’s just say those brides of Christ hadn’t learned much from his teaching. Yet they were the ones in charge of teaching a bunch of vulnerable children.
#17
I have encountered two men in the workplace who wore their evangelical faith like a badge of honour. But in the workplace, they switched off everything in their brains that was taught by Jesus, and treated people with a***e, lies, and office politics that seemed inspired by Game of Thrones.
#18
Several childhood bullies. Thought they were ok until they attacked me. I learned hard lessons. .
#19
He learned everything about me then proceeded to make me out to be crazy when in reality, he was cyber bullying me, stalking me, and doing other horrific things to me. It took me being off social media for a while and moving for him to finally leave me alone. I never knew someone like him existed outside of lifetime movies. He caused me to nearly take my own life because I was so terrified of him. Now, when I see or am near anyone who has even the smallest red flag, I am instantly on guard. Years of therapy have helped me. But, I’m just grateful to be out of that situation.
#20
When I was 9, a new boy moved into our street. He was kind, shared sweets, and always wanted to hang out. I thought I’d made a real friend
But behind my back, he told others my secrets things I’d trusted him with
That’s when I learned
Not everyone who smiles at you means well
Some people aren’t friends They’re just good at pretending.
#21
This old guy that I used to know he told me he was a guitarist and played for a lot of big bands. Tried to make a move on me come to find out he can’t even play….
#22
I see them all the time. It’s kind of wrong to call them an wolf though. Wolves have a sense of duty and care towards their pack.
#23
A guy I had worked with, a fellow Catholic a married man, had trained me on the job, offered me a ride home once. When I got home, I started to make my goodbyes and he insisted on coming up and I realized that I had misunderstood his level of integrity. I never spoke to him again I never saw him again and he spent 30 seconds in my apartment before I shoved him out. I honestly didn’t know what to do because I trusted this man so much. What an a******.
#24
A teacher in high school. Nice at first until one day, he got mad and punished me for not listening to him. The next day before class, he sat next to me and told me I should hang out with him and be dropped off at his house. I ignored him. A year later, I was walking to my next class, and he was going the other way. For some reason, his face was purplish red, and he looked enraged. I ignored him again, but in my peripheral vision, I saw him staring at me, his head turning as I passed him. Never saw him again and hope not to.
#25
Currently experiencing this one. I’ve recently reconnected with my childhood best friend after not speaking for a couple of years, due to a spat we had when we were 16.
He has a different best friend now, as do I, and he wants us to be friends. I’ve spent the past couple of months getting to know her, going full-out friendship mode, because I genuinely wanted to be her friend. I really thought she liked me, she’s always smiley and kind when we hang out, only to find out that she’s been talking about me behind my back to all of my friends and making fun of me :(.
#26
I’ve only had the misfortune of meeting one p*dophile. I worked with the b*****d at a fast food restaurant. He had a very happy, energetic, friendly personality. Exactly the kind of guy kids would want to hang out with. I think the persona was intentional and predatory. He’s in jail now, or at least he was last I checked.
#27
The HR department and Nursing Management for Warren State Hospital in Warren, Pennsylvania. Bunch of s****y f***s they pretend to care about people. They only serve their own interests.
#28
Somewhat amusingly- a long time friend who spent too much time around a manipulative sociopath and she became EXACTLY the same.
I was busy with my own life & once she started acting like…a wolf in sheep’s clothing….I helped her move out of my place and quit dealing with her.
In hindsight, I almost felt sorry for her but I had been very very kind and patient so I’m glad she f-ed off into the sunset.
Some nice times, but hey, all good things come to an end.
#29
My family members. I grew up and realized how out of pocket they really are and decided to keep my distance.
#30
This is sheep in wolves clothing.
So on off for the past 20 years I have lived in the last factory town in the south of England. The factories shut down but there was still a ton of government housing, there was a football team and it always kicked off, they often had helicopters. When I was a teenager the local kids always tried to get me to fight them. It is famously rough.
Over time we got more immigrants and a bit more wealthy, Tata the big Indian conglomerate opened near by. I am not sure if I aged out of it or if I got bigger and people stopped trying to pick fights with me but outside the cheapest pub there was always a big fist fight every Friday.
I eventually felt confident walking through this huge council badly light housing estate and no one bothered me.
Then one night I was walking through this public housing estate and in the distant I saw a group of lads in track suit bottoms carrying these big tinnies. F**k! Looks like these lads been drinking and they walking as a group. I tense up and think about a way I can avoid them.
Then they walked under a street light and trying not to look directly, I catch a glimpse of them. It was a group of middle aged Indian chaps in tack suits, not carrying beers but tubes of shuttle c***s.