He, and some of the posters defending him, are best described as "tender misanthropes." This is another Florence King term, used in her brilliant book With Charity For None. A 'normal' misanthrope thinks mankind is corrupt, flawed, and just generally rotten. (A sense of humor allowed the misanthrope to get around the inevitable self-loathing.) A tender misanthrope believes mankind is corrupt, flawed, and generally rotten, but with the proper people providing the proper examples and the proper guidance, they can be made 'good' - whatever good is. Ryan is clearly a tender misanthrope, identified by his insistence that he's going to change others, and by his complete lack of a sense of humor.