KallMeKris

And members were forced to wear identical baggy clothing, generally something like plain shirts and sweatpants, which we've seen with other cults as well.

And they were given the same haircut in attempt to mask gender and sexuality, hiding their differences.

And Marshall and Bonnie had everyone adopt new first names that had three consonants specifically in the first syllable and ended in O-D to symbolize their rebirth into the group and reinforce group identity.

For instance, J-M-O-D-Y or L-V-V-O-D-Y.

And one-on-one relationships and cliques were forbidden.

And if two members began to seem like they were getting too close, they were broken up and assigned to separate tasks and partners.

And an investigator later noted, quote, nothing in the house indicated members exhibited any individuality.

There were no books, magazines, or movies other than about 100 homemade videotapes similar to the one the group made as a final goodbye, unquote.

So just no outside influence or outlets at all.

And the group environment was that of an echo chamber and permanently reinforcing the cult's mindset.

Marshall's brand of leadership involved a mix of fatherly warmth and absolute authority.

And though he was strict, excessively so, followers saw him as a father figure and their guiding shepherd.

And he generally was soft-spoken and he appeared to genuinely care whenever he offered help to a troubled member.

But he also would not hesitate to punish anyone who disobeyed, and even a minor slip-up was met with swift correction until the person repented.

So he led with charisma and

Fear.

And the charisma was seen through followers' real adoration and belief that he was truly divinely guided.

And the fear was seen through members desperately avoiding anything that would disappoint him, resulting in being left behind at the time of ascension.

And according to former members, there was also an underlying threat that if you did decide to leave the group, you were forfeiting your spot on the spaceship and suffering for it.

And because of this, even when doubts began to surface, many members would decide to stay in the world that Doe and Tee built, and understandably so.