I had eight brothers and sisters. Every Christmas my younger brother Bobby would wake up extra early and open everybody's presents - everybody's - so by the time the rest of us got up all the gifts were shredded ribbons off torn open and thrown aside.
Well when I was a little girl we had 17 cats once. They all lived outside and they kept having more kittens. My mom made us put little ribbons around each kitten's neck put them in a wagon and go door-to-door around the neighborhood to try to give them away.
We have that illusion that we are 'deciding' what to make a character do in order to 'convey our message' or something like that. But at least in my experience you are often more like a river-rafting guide who's been paid a bonus to purposely steer your clients into the roughest possible water.