In Game of Thrones, Joffrey is a horrible king. He’s also very young, so he lacks experience. And as it happens, he is also an unsufferable brat.
Anyone who must proclaim that they are something to everyone, is clearly grappling with their own self-doubt. Joffrey and this quote remind me of two drug dealers from the Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad world. For the most part, Gus Fring is levelheaded and never has to remind those around him how powerful he is. Hector Salamanca on the other hand, is always squawking about the position he has.
Gus is the guy who is always thinking steps ahead and from the outside, you wouldn’t even know his true feelings. When Hector has a stroke, Gus insists that they 911 and he begins life saving measures to save him. Why? He hates Hector because he is a horrible man. And everyone who was there when it happened would probably agree that Hector being out of the picture would be better for business. But Gus saves him because he wants him to stay alive and live a miserable life. And he does. We see the shambles of a man he has become in Breaking Bad.
But on the outside, Gus appears to be a decent guy (for a drug dealer). He has great ties to the community and is always donating to the police. He flies below the radar, remains an unassuming restaurant owner and no one ever suspect him of being the criminal he is. With the Salamancas, everyone knows about their brutality, and they are often on the police’s radar.
When you feel confident in who you are, you don’t have to tell everybody. You aren’t dependent on their ability to see it or validate it to know who you are.
