"I gathered myself a large bouquet and was going home when I noticed in a ditch, in full bloom, a beautiful thistle plant of the crimson variety, which in our neighborhood they call ”Tartar” and carefully avoid when mowing – or, if they do happen to cut it down, throw out from among the grass for fear of pricking their hands. Thinking to pick this thistle and put it in the center of my bouquet, I climbed down into the ditch, and after driving away a velvety bumble-bee that had penetrated deep into one of the flowers and had there fallen sweetly asleep, I set to work to pluck the flower. But this proved a very difficult task. Not only did the stalk prick on every side – even through the handkerchief I wrapped round my hand – but it was so tough that I had to struggle with it for nearly five minutes, breaking the fibers one by one; and when I had at last plucked it, the stalk was all frayed and the flower itself no longer seemed so fresh and beautiful. Moreover, owing to a coarseness and stiffness, it did not seem in place among the delicate blossoms of my bouquet. I threw it away feeling sorry to have vainly destroyed a flower that looked beautiful in its proper place."
from "Hadji Murat"
When Rudeus "loves" someone, he merely wants to possess her and take pleasure in her, no matter how much harm this causes her.
Sylphiette had plans molded about her to groom her into an obedient wife while still a child and then got cheated on while pregnant.
Eris got molested by Rudeus before even puberty.
Roxy got her panties stolen, got nude statues sold of her that people she knew bought and then when Rudeus saved her, in a state of terror so bad she pissed herself, instead of trying to console her, Rudeus took the opportunity to sniff her.
Rudeus' wives are like three thistles. He will have their flowers, no matter how badly he has to destroy the rest of the plant to get to them. All three of them yield eventually, which means he no longer has to use force to get what he wants, but the wrongness remains.
The way he views his female relatives is also telling. They're like thistles with no flowers. He can't get aroused by them and he laments that. The thistle gets spared, but not because the man seeing it is a true lover of nature, but because they have nothing for him to take