“Let them hate, so long as they fear”
The Trench“Let them hate, so long as they fear” is Benedict’s favored expression and, in Celeste Singer’s account, a lesson that has shaped her for much of her life. Introduced in a conversation with Jonas Taylor, it links her admission that she can be harsh to the model of control her guardian has taught her.
Meaning and Attribution
When Jonas accuses Celeste of enjoying control, she looks out the window, acknowledges that he is right about her harshness, and recalls the Latin phrase Oderint dum metuant. She explains that it is one of Benedict’s favorite expressions, giving its meaning as “Let them hate, so long as they fear.” The saying makes fear, rather than affection or consent, the measure of authority; in this exchange, it serves as a concise expression of the controlling approach Jonas has just identified.
Celeste’s Inheritance
Celeste places the expression within a history of deliberate grooming. She says she has spent more than half her life being prepared to take over Benedict’s organization when he retires, and describes herself as his partner and confidante, “the son he'll never have, the mistress he'll never marry.” Her claim that she knows only the way of doing things her guardian taught her connects the phrase to more than Benedict’s personal taste: it is part of the model of power Celeste has learned and is expected to carry forward. The moment does not establish how she will ultimately use that inheritance, but it shows her recognizing its harshness even as she names its source.
