All in all, I think that Don Corleone s picture on the front of the movie cover encapsulates his powerful image. Dressed in a tuxedo, his image is softened by his red rose corsage and cat that his has cuddled in his arms. The red rose from his daughter s wedding symbolize his commitment to family, and his kind treatment of his cat show his compassion. In sum, the more human the villain appears, the better we can associate with him. In a Freudian sense, to understand the mind of the villain, we need only to look at our own weakest, most enraged, vengeful moments.
Villains express openly what most people hide deep inside their inner-self.
Seeing a villain on the screen, permits the audience to direct their emotions at a concrete figure. The most effective villains maintain a glimmer of humanity. Even motives for villainy that have at their heart a human basis. Even as he was dying, he reached for Danielle instead of the stepmother. As a result, the stepmother loves to see Danielle suffer, and makes her do so by giving her the most arduous tasks, blaming her for everything, and taking away everything that she loves.