And the thing is, any organization that would gang up on an employee that way
(because I have a feeling that Rick’s descent into madness didn’t happen all by itself. I imagine he could sense the growing dissatisfaction with him/his work more and more over time. I imagine he felt uncomfortable at first, and that discomfort could have easily bloomed into paranoia, which contributed to his further withdrawal into his office, and so on…)

and basically drive him to the brink before tightening the noose…would do it to anyone.

So, when you’re thinking of jumping on the bandwagon in terms of collectively ostracizing a co-worker, better keep in mind that next time, it could be you.

Take it from someone who’s been there.