I was broken by a boss who took immense pleasure in demeaning and degrading me-yet I consistently sought her approval. I couldn't understand why she didn't like me. I worked hard, mostly trying to impress her. For a time, I was impressed by her knowledge-she wasn't a lawyer, but she walked and talked like one, winning her fair share of legal arguments too, mostly against the baby ADA's as she called them. They were her favorite target, next to me.