Octopath Traveler 0's influence system is a bad deal for NPCs

Blinded by the lovely, colorful pixelated world of Orsterra, I severely underestimated how utterly brutal Octopath Traveler 0 would be. And when I say “brutal,” I don’t mean the bazillion innocent NPCs who get slaughtered in horrible ways throughout the story. No, I’m referring to the RPG’s ruthless “influence” system.