I have had several brain surgeries and at some point in the midst of that I got meningitis. The pain that I experienced in the emergency room while they were trying to get me stable enough for transport reached into the deepest recesses of everything I ever thought I was and changed me on a fundamental level that is still incomprehensible. In between the unconsciousness and the involuntary screaming simply because my mouth was open I remember clearly thinking that torture would be easier because there would at least be someone to blame. At some point you’ll say anything because you lack the sentience to seed thought.

I’ve also watched a lot of police interrogations and false confessions are all predicated on not having consulted a lawyer who can warn you about interrogation techniques that are designed for the purpose of fulfilling a predetermined or convenient narrative.

Maybe you won’t confess or sell anybody out exactly but you will absolutely say anything a trained interrogator wants given enough time or pain.