NPCs are not soulless automatons

NPCs are egregore-controlled humans, they still have an independent mind but their mind is enslaved and used as a tool for expressing the egregore mind, like a two-way radio channel.
see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egregore
Its possible to disrupt the link to egregore by subversive thought insertion(aka memes), allowing the original mind to assert its will and independent thought. The egregore can't focus on multiple mental challenges simultaneously and the "radio channel" has limited capacity.
NPCs can be reformed to PCs.

>>37

Its maddening to be coldly and scientifically evaluated as a biological bot

That's not how the NPC meme is actually used.
In vast majority of cases, it is used automatically, without thought, with the implication that if you disagree with one script, you are following another one.
For as long as it is used primarily politically, by the least thoughtful group of internet ideologues, it will not wake up many people.