What was supposed to be a game of chance became a masterclass in social elimination. In the Slides & Ladders episode of Squid Game: The Challenge, alliances hardened, kindness evaporated, and the group dynamics quietly devolved.

This week, we break down the episode that proved the most dangerous part of the game wasn’t the slides, it was the people. As contestants jockeyed for safety, one player’s isolation exposed how quickly adults revert to middle-school cruelty when money and fear collide. Because when the prize is $4.56 million, empathy becomes optional, and cruelty becomes gameplay.