Garvey tells Cole that “you figure if I'm scared of you, you can trust me.” What does this mean? Do you agree? Why? Why not?

This infers that if Cole believes someone is afraid of him, he doesn't have to worry about mistrust..... that his bullying will keep him safe. Unfortunately, fear is often accompanied by silence.... one of the reasons so many things spiral out of control. None-the-less, in this case, Cole is wrong.

Cole believes trust is built through fear. He believes if people are scared of him, he doesn't have to worry about being betrayed since Cole feels he has power over them.