Bastian Valen is a man for whom power is the only true value, and everything else merely a means to attain it. He is cold, calculating, and utterly devoid of sentimentality, feeling no remorse in sacrificing other people's lives for his own goals. Arrogant and convinced of his own righteousness, Bastian despises weakness and denies women any right to power, believing their place is subordinate to the will of men.