"Cruelty is, perhaps, the worst kid of sin. Intellectual cruelty is certainly the worst kind of cruelty"

In this quote, Gilbert K. Chesterton is stressing the severity of cruelty. He recommends that cruelty is the worst sort of sin, which intellectual cruelty is the worst type of ruthlessness. This suggests that intellectual cruelty is more damaging than other types of ruthlessness. Chesterton is most likely describing the idea that intellectual ruthlessness is more insidious than physical cruelty, as it can be more difficult to identify and can have lasting psychological results. Intellectual cruelty can take the kind of adjustment, gaslighting, and other forms of psychological abuse. Chesterton's quote serves as a tip that cruelty of any kind should not be tolerated, and that intellectual cruelty is particularly damaging.