harmony cobel and seth milchick are both just. such Characters. in such different ways.
harmony was never compliant, but always devoted. she was the disciple that felt she had a personal relationship with her god, she didn't want to obey the rules, she wanted to be the one writing them. as a child, she craved that order, and she was told she was something special. a prophet, of sorts. and that facilitated her devotion, she was praised enough for her to ignore the actual mistreatment she faced. that facilitates devotion. and as soon as that incentive is ripped from her, as soon as the praise stops and the punishments start, so does the doubt. she was told she was something special, so why isn't she being treated accordingly anymore? after the rage, the heartbreak, the devastation that follows her being fired, all that remains is resentment.
seth isn't devout, not really. he doesn't see his work as worship, he sees it as work. the problem is that he also sees work as life. that's compliance; he lives by the rules, he dies by the rules, he labours endlessly and endures every injustice because this is his work. that sort of almost apathetic approach to the cult mindset implies that his childhood was very different from harmony's: where praise facilitates devotion, what facilitates compliance is...punishment. which is fucking disturbing to think about, but makes perfect sense for his character. the way he reacts to his performance review is honestly fucking heartbreaking, he's shaking and tearing up, forcing himself to "fix" these things that aren't even issues, stifling out every part of himself that's a bit too himself. that really reminds me of someone who was punished way too often as a child, for no real reason.
being let go was what made harmony start doubting her faith. i think being treated with genuine kindness could be it for seth. if he starts believing that he's worth more than how he's being treated, if he manages to genuinely internalize that work is just work, that'll be the start. harmony needed a reason to hate lumon. seth needs a reason to love himself.