'huge, queer and tawdry' but 'much admired by the public'

I would agree with you that very few people are deliberately and consciously evil. But leaving aside even the damage done by people who think they're good guys (in which category I include most of the great monsters of history), I think that most people, most of the time, will do the easiest thing, whether that be dropping their litter on the floor, or not pressing the button on the pelican and then holding up traffic by walking across against the flow.