Oh, I'm sure there's an aspect of that in their intentions, but it's very hard to see it working, because, well, why on earth would you expect him to honour the deal?

You'd think that, but then there's these law firms that keep making deals. Some people are convinced they can give a bully some appeasement and be left alone.

They will come back for tomorrow's lunch money, regardless of what you give them today. There is no permanent payoff. Why should there be? They know you're pliable, they might as well squeeze more out of you.