His actions are aimed to elicit social or other opprobrium and sanctions from his environment. His life is a Kafkaesque ongoing trial and the sempiternity of the trial is in itself the punishment. They confirm his worthlessness. One should be careful not to romanticize the narcissist. His remorse is always linked to his fears of losing his sources.
Narcissists have no enemies.
They have only sources of narcissistic supply. An enemy means attention means supply. One holds sway over one's enemy. He seeks out his old sources of narcissistic supply when he has absolutely no other NS sources at his disposal. Narcissists frantically try to recycle their old and wasted sources in such a situation.