I've thought about this a bit more. Lot's of folks described him as charismatic and that probably helped bring people in. However, like Epstein and Maxwell, I think he knew how to pick out people to join him that would be willing to do anything he asked. Maybe that is stating that obvious.
I watched the Netflix thing this past weekend. Kathy Schroeder is still certifiable.
The ATF had leased space in the same building my wife worked in during this time. One day, a few weeks into the siege, I was going with my wife back to her office. We walked into the lobby and hit the up button at the elevator and a few seconds later, the doors open and standing in the back of the elevator is Kathy Schroeder in chains surrounded by federal agents,. We gave them a wide berth as they exited the elevator and building.
When the compound went up on April 19th, my wife could see the smoke and flames from her office on the top floor of that same building. It was not lost on me that folks from the ATF probably had the same vantage point.