In ethics, a slippery slope begins when one small unethical action is rationalized by the perpetrator as innocuous because nobody really got hurt or because everybody else does it. This rationalization process, called moral disengagement, can lead people to slip into a pattern of bad behavior that becomes difficult to stop. Embezzler Bernie Madoff admitted to starting by stealing a few hundred and then a few thousand from investors. When he got comfortable with that, it eventually ballooned into something really big—he ultimately stole $85 billion from his investors. Can you provide an example of when you or someone you know was tempted to succumb to the slippery slope?