A man may become wicked when....

A man may become wicked
when he is overqualified for the post
to which he is assigned,
when he is educated beyond his station in life,
when he is able to reap immediate benefits
with a minimum of effort,
when he stays at the same job for a long time
while his supervisor is changed frequently,
when his superior is not consistently honest and ethical,
when he has many friends
and followers among his subordinates
but his superior is isolated and unsure of himself,
when there is someone who envies him
but that person is weaker than him
and is therefore afraid to expose any of his misdeeds,
when he is guilty of the same crime as someone he dislikes
but they each refrain from exposing the other’s misdeed
for the sake of mutual protection,
when the punishment for an offense is so light that
it would not make him feel
the least bit guilty or embarrassed,
when he sees that some profit by their wickedness
though others do not,
and when he realizes that some who are not wicked
end up being treated as though they were wicked anyway.

Chong Yag-yong (1762-1836) From: Yoyudang chonso 1:10 by Chong Yagyong, tr. Fujiya Kawashima in Sourcebook of Korean Civilization ed. Peter H. Lee, Volume 2, p. 211-212.