Landlord arrogantly reports themselves to the Fire Marshall after refusing to supply tenant with a single fire alarm: 'They had no idea that landlords had "responsibilities" and simply saw us tenants as a source of income that should be ever growing'

There are certain situations where you just don't want to draw unnecessary attention to yourself. Things like avoiding making direct eye contact with the teacher in class to avoid answering questions, or that exceptionally long paragraph that's coming up.

In situations like this, it's best to go as unnoticed as possible. Flying under the radar becomes a method of self-preservation, even when you're not doing anything wrong; it's just that getting your teacher's attention at the wrong time would be mighty stressful and inconvenient. 

As you grow up, the powers that be are no longer petty authority figures but mighty swollen bureaucracies and their agents of misfortune. Again, it's not that you're doing anything wrong, at least not intentionally, but drawing their gaze is like the eye of Sauron fixating on the Ring when Frodo slips it on his finger, and once the gaze is upon you, there is no going back.

Before you know it, you're going to be drowning in unnecessary administration and all the paperwork that comes with it, with fines for each small violation as a reward.

When it comes to building management, the local authorities' building inspector and the fire marshal are two of those things that you'd rather not have come poking around. With their technical policy manuals in hand, there is not a building in the world that these professionals could walk through where they couldn't pull up some violation that would need rectifying. 

Don't get me wrong, this is all for good reason, good technical standards are written in the dark red ink of hard lessons. But when you're on the receiving end of an impossible list of required alterations, it doesn't feel this way. And I'm sure that's exactly how this landlord was feeling after they willingly brought themselves to the attention of the local fire marshal, putting an end to their quarrel with their tenant.