Yes, I felt pleased and vindicated when I read that book years later. But he didn't actually have to go that far. You only need to cause enough pain to your opponent that they start to think twice.
True. It's even noted in the book, but the protagonist wanted to be absolutely, positively sure that no one - neither the current bully nor any other future bully - will try to hurt him again. He pushed things to the hard limit in pretty much everything he did. We don't have to - we shouldn't - go that far.
