[Hordriss]

The revelation that Ben and Widmore have, apparently, been "playing" with other people's lives is not massively conducive to sympathy for Ben: so he didn't really mean it when he claimed Alex was a "pawn" to him, but he all-too-clearly thinks that so many other people are. I agree that his decision to avenge her by killing the (as far as we know) innocent Penny demonstrates an unreformed and immature personality. I will avoid the word "evil", as I still suspect that Ben has justified his actions within his own warped little ethical world. Nevertheless, we could hardly ask for more certain confirmation that Ben is indifferent to human life unless a) he has a personal attachment at stake, or b) he can use a person to achieve some end (whether it for assassination, sexual harassment, or sacrificial / revenge purposes).