A/N: This one's kind of more of a character study than a story . . .
Cognitive Dissonance Theory- We want to get rid of the discomfort we feel when two thoughts disagree. (Attitudes flex to actions.)
Cutting in line: we say it's bad, but if we do it, we say who cares?
Most people got mad about the number of times inmates escaped Arkham. And not just the Gothamites, other heroes could get annoyed, though more at how often Batman was called back to Gotham to deal with a few Arkham escapees. There was something . . . off . . . about one of them though. The sheer number of breakouts orchestrated by the Joker dwarfed those masterminded by other villains. And usually, he wasn't found until his next big scheme.
As time went on, some of the heroes became impressed at the Batman's persistence, impressed that he just kept putting him away rather than breaking. Others became frustrated at the Batman as the Joker's body count rose and Arkham proved time and time again to be ineffective. They weren't sure that Batman should loosen his morals, as that could spell disaster of the highest order, but they worried that perhaps he almost . . . enjoyed the chase. Many who thought of this dismissed it as a thought brought on by the inherent paranoia of being constantly fighting.
But they were right. To a point. There is, after all, only so much useless labor a human will willing to undertake before the task simply becomes hopeless. But Batman can do anything. He was making Gotham a better place. The Joker would not be an exception. So the Joker must be simply something that he meant to happen. A way to keep him on his toes. That's what Batman eventually let himself believe.
And then there was Robin. It had worked before, believing that he let Joker escape because he could not afford to be complacent, but Robin certainly kept him on his toes. And Joker seemed to actively target his son. Using him to get to the Batman. On too many nights Batman had sped to the cave with an injured partner in need of medical attention.
So for a time, Batman redoubled his efforts to keep Joker in Arkham, and find him when he inevitably escaped. The casualties attributed to Joker soared in those weeks, until Batman allowed him to lay low yet again. And now, his reason was that Joker was less dangerous when he didn't feel particularly hunted. Because sometimes, it's all too easy to allow an unmanageable variable to stay that way.
A/N: My character studies are always short . . . sorry.