There are many tropes in story telling. One of them is “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

People misjudge others all the time. I recently watched a video of a “prank” gone sideways. A “prankster” filled a gas can with water, went into a parking lot, found somebody sitting in their vehicle, poured the water on the vehicle and then pulled a lighter.

The “joke” is to see the fear in the people’s faces when they believe they and their vehicle are about to go up in flames.

The sideways was when the “prankster” went up to a pickup with an older man inside. As he started to pour the water, the driver got out with a pistol in his hand. The “prankster” then was recorded with fear on his face. Running for his life, screaming that it was just water.

The “prankster” had misjudged his target.

Another trope is the mentor telling the younger newbie, “Listen to that old fart, he’s old in a profession where you die young.” Old doesn’t mean stupid. Old doesn’t mean without means. Old, fat and slow can still be deadly fast.

I said I never had much use for one. Never said I didn’t know how to use it. — Matthew Quigley, demonstrating his skill with Colonel Colt’s revolver”.