Acharya Prashant discusses the four categories of people in relation to a guru: disciples, devotees, the indifferent, and the hostile. He explains that according to Ramana Maharshi, all four categories benefit from the presence of a gyani (knower of truth) to varying degrees. The guru represents embodied truth, and even those who are indifferent are eventually impacted because the guru's influence spreads through the entire ecosystem. Since an indifferent person is connected to others who may not be indifferent, the guru's presence eventually enters their consciousness through their social circles and environment. However, the benefit for the indifferent person is indirect, passive, and partial. Acharya Prashant further clarifies the hierarchy of these categories, arguing that indifference is actually worse than hostility. While a disciple or devotee is ideal, a hostile person is still actively engaged with the guru. Hostility is described as a form of distorted or upended love where the guru occupies the person's mind. Because the teacher's love is unconditional, he may even prefer to be hated rather than ignored, as hatred ensures the person is thinking of something worthwhile rather than being consumed by trivialities. A true teacher may even act in ways that invite wrath just to break a person's indifference and enter their consciousness.