Polarization destroys mutual toleration because different sides don’t empathize with one another or view the other side as part of their in-group. Levitsky and Ziblatt therefore clarify the chain of cause-and-effect that has badly weakened American democracy: polarization has destroyed mutual toleration, which has weakened forbearance and paralyzed the government. (Later, they explain how demographic changes actually underlie this polarization.) However, even though some links in the chain precede others, they can still reinforce each other. For instance, even though intolerance preceded the breakdown in forbearance, the authors have argued that, when forbearance breaks down, this further weakens mutual toleration. This can also operate in the opposite direction, however: even though intolerance came before the breakdown in forbearance, fixing forbearance can also help restore toleration.