On Compassion, or is it Empathy?

Circumstances force me to regularly be near someone who is very cruel to me 

despite my better judgment, I decided to look this person up on Google.
the first thing that came up was their street address, so I went on Google Street view and looked at the address.
I was stunned to find that in front of the cruel person's building, Google Street view had photographically caught a homeless woman with a stroller stuffed with belongings. 
She was pulling a pair of pants on, over her existing pair of pants, while her shoes sat on the sidewalk. 

Upon closer inspection, I think that the pants look like the type worn by the cruel person

At this moment it is hard to feel compassion toward this person who is so hurtful. But I must say that I believe the person is mentally ill, and possibly a hoarder. Meaning those pants on the street woman probably never belonged to the cruel person at all, because hoarders don't let go of anything. 

So, it's eerie to see the image of a troubled person on the street in front of that person's house, as though the cruel person is also, in a way, destitute.

Upon further reflection, I realize that the cruel one may not be mentally ill or spiritually bereft at all. They may simply be petty and mean.