Artist's commentary
Mephistopheles
"You wish to know the true nature of a person? Simple. Tell an absurd and obvious lie and watch their reaction. The content is unimportant so long as a person is capable of it.
Headstrong fools who do not listen when others speak, those who show a pleasant face to all and will swallow it whole to be agreeable, cowards who cannot assert themselves and anxiously try to gauge the feelings of others, obstinate saints who cannot distinguish what is actually true, layabouts who live to seize upon the weakness of others, each can be easily identified by their reaction.
Ah, by the way, I will give you some advice. Be wary if someone around you attempts to divine the minds of others in this way. Despite their lack of the ability, they are the sort who believes they have some special value. Nothing good will come of associating with them. It is best to cut your ties immediately."