Ehhh, I think even with Duchess *getting* his comeuppance I'd still feel like, WHY did I have to suffer through all this??

A friend of mine who reads a lot of mysteries says that many mystery writers seem to subscribe to the "born bad" theory of human nature when it comes to creating villains. Is that what's operating here?

... I guess, just... WHY have a whole chunk of the book be about this guy? What's the point? Is it to let Emmett realize that he doesn't, in fact, have to be Duchess's friend?