What kind of insults are we talking about? I've played and communicated with Valentin quite a bit, but I've never seen anything like that from him. This suggests that it's simply his defensive reaction.

That's what I'm saying, his defensive reaction is severely inadequate; he doesn't understand where the teasing ends and the harassment begins. And he doesn't know how to respond to these attacks in a way that makes his opponents lose morale, instead of gaining it. He complained that he was given penalty points while others weren't. This is because others understand the limits of acceptable expression, but he doesn't. As a result, it's not a clear response from a tough guy, but a clown's tantrum. Which, of course, provokes further aggression towards him. This is a common law of social psychology: the group somehow eliminates inadequate individuals. I think Valentin is familiar with this not only on Hv, but also in real life. Such unconscious tests in the form of trial attacks constantly occur in normal groups. Usually in the form of teasing or provocations. Or, if there is a reason, not teasing. Most of them pass normally, which supports the social adequacy of the group members and forms subgroups. Similarly, with newcomers, the group tests their resilience, usually with light teasing, trial attacks, or trolling, to see how they will react. If they back down, the attitude towards them will be accordingly. If they forget themselves, it means they are not one of us; they will be pressured more until they leave on their own (Valentin's case). But if they respond effectively or defuse the situation, they will quickly become one of the group. You don't have to look far for examples.