There is a parallel here. Jefferson was so cruel to his slaves that his friends tried to prevail upon him to be more considerate, for example in suggesting that

There is a parallel here. Jefferson was so cruel to his slaves that his friends tried to prevail upon him to be more considerate, for example in suggesting that he might reconsider his policy of breaking apart families for no particular reason other than the fun of causing suffering. People are made of many parts. Jefferson was brilliant and farsighted, but also a vicious, selfish monster -- by the standards of his time.