Now he’s starting to seem more and more like a sometimes-misunderstood decent guy. I’m confused.
Basically, he’s short-tempered and takes it upon himself to enforce the social contract through outbursts of violence.
Correction is when correction’s due.
…for the crime of sitting next to a woman?
For the crime of seeing an empty train carriage and going to sit directly next to her, when her expression makes it clear that she’s uncomfortable with that. If you want to sit and make conversation, sit across the aisle, make a comment that has either the option of being picked up for conversing, or politely dropped, so that you’re not pressuring someone into something they may not be comfortable with (talking with strangers).