Finally playing Tyranny for real, after having tried it once previously. As I get deeper in I realize that Obsidian and ZA/UM both answered “why does everyone tolerate the protagonist running around and interrogating them?” with “they’re a cop.”
The difference? Disco Elysium feels deeply conflicted about whether cops can be good. In Tyranny you have been deputized by store-brand-Sauron to complete their world conquest. The game is literally called "tyranny".