The next step is testing: violating minor rules, asking for things that are not supposed to be given. They test for the resilience of the guards and are also pl

The next step is testing: violating minor rules, asking for things that are not supposed to be given. They test for the resilience of the guards and are also playing to what in psychology is called the “foot in the door phenomenon”: people who do a small favor for you are more likely in the future to do larger favors for you. I am reminded of the teachers’ maxim “don’t smile before Christmas”, i.e., establish yourself as a firm disciplinarian at the beginning of the school year, and you can be more flexible once the students recognize that you aren’t a pushover.