For without the principles of a good will, they may become extremely bad, and the coolness of a villain not only makes him far more dangerous, but also directly makes him more abominable in our eyes than he would have been without it. – Immanuel Kant, "Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals"
What is the reason for using the highlighted part here instead of "would be"? I can see you could justify it as your very first impression of such a person, something that has already happened, but it seems iffy.
Thanks in advance.