Reply #49: I know that ...

[RoyGBiv]

But he was a smart ... well, brilliant sociopath, so brilliant the audience could be forgiven for not knowing whether he or Brolin is supposed to be the hero of the story. The reality is of course that there are no heroes. We're all consumed by our own personal prejudices, demons, greed, or what-have-you ...

But he was smart. The story made a point of showing just how smart he was through everything he did ... right up to the point he tried to pay off some kids not to tell anyone he was there after he'd gone out of his way and taken the kind of risk we are led to believe he doesn't take. A flip of the coin isn't even really involved there. He just does it, then ensures that there is a witness.

Why didn't an acknowledged sociopath just kill the kids or at the very least just not engage them at all?