Power is treated like a dirty word, so most people pretend it is not shaping their lives.
But status, access, credit, and safety are negotiated every day, even in rooms that call themselves “equal.” If you do not see the game, you still play it. You just play it blind.
These laws are patterns: how people protect position, punish threats, reward usefulness, and disguise ambition. Read them as a way to recognize moves early, not as a personality you must become. Used without awareness, they make you paranoid. Used with awareness, they make you harder to manipulate, because you stop confusing politeness for innocence.