Some of them are just stupid. :rolleyes:
But yes, L&C, and DC in general, specializes in sociopathic villains - and heroes of questionable mental balance as well.
But Deter's a weird one - in part one of that arc, he's 'fallen' for Lois for no apparent reason and follows a very predictable pattern of isolating his victim from their normal support structure and forcing an excessive dependance on him - a pretty normal pattern for a psychological abuser.
But in part 2, he's following Lois & Clark around on an investigation, and while not exactly helpful, he's almost acting like he might actually care for her.
It's almost like the writers realized exactly how creepy Deter could get and they didn't really want to go all the way there.
And we never did find out why Deter would put his entire professional reputation at stake to 'fall' for the woman Lex Luthor kidnapped.
