Little Stranger

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness. 

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) is a mental health condition that results in a person disregarding ethical obligations and ignoring the feelings or rights of other people. ASPD is often colloquially called “sociopathy” or “psychopathy,” though neither term—unlike ASPD—are considered official diagnoses. In common usage, the term “psychopath” is considered to refer to someone who is more violent than “sociopaths,” who are often seen as more controlling but not as physically violent.

People with ASPD frequently manipulate or intentionally provoke others without regret or remorse. The Mayo Clinic cites symptoms of ASPD as including showing aggression toward people and animals, violating rules, having a sense of superiority, feeling no guilt about harming others or transgressing rules, and showing no regard for personal safety or the safety of others and frequently doing dangerous things (“Antisocial Personality Disorder - Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, 2024). In Little Stranger, Malachi’s ASPD mainly manifests in his lack of guilt about the social taboo of his relationship with Olivia, but he is also violently aggressive toward people he feels have transgressed him in some way.

Those who have antisocial personality disorder typically show symptoms in adolescence, usually before age 15.