Then I should tell you that, in person, he's your typical brutish idiot. [gates up--and he puts the car into gear, the engine roaring to life as he peels out of there. He raises his voice to be heard while he's driving]

He's not particularly cunning, but he likes to think he is. Everything he has, he's gotten through force and luck, nothing more. So the more you treat him like he's smart, the easier it will be to not have to deal with his bad side.