Understanding「たとえ思うだけでも思わないでください」


A lady faces a monster and she have an ability to harm that monster just by
thinking cruel things in her head, like mentally visualizing stabbing that
monster with knife for example. The monster wails in pain and told her

> お願いだから、後生だから、そんな酷いことを思わないでくださいな、 **たとえ思うだけでも思わないでください**

I'm not sure if I'm understanding the bold part well. I think it means "At
least, please don't think just by thinking"?

What does たとえ mean? How だけでも works here?




As suggested by the comment, たとえ・・・でも is usually translated as _even if ..._.
So the part literally means _don't think (cruel things) even if (you) just
think (cruel things)._

A neutral reading is that _to think (of cruel things)_ is contrasted with _to
do (cruel things)_. The monster says _Your thinking is already harmful, even
if you don't actually do those things, so don't even think about them_.

* * *

#I suppose 'she' does not know her thinking is harmful, otherwise it sounds a
bit strange to me because in case she knows about her ability, then she is
intentionally doing harm, so the monster should beg her just to stop.




As suggested by the comment, たとえ・・・でも is usually translated as _even if ..._.
So the part literally means _don't think (cruel things) even if (you) just
think (cruel things)._

A neutral reading is that _to think (of cruel things)_ is contrasted with _to
do (cruel things)_. The monster says _Your thinking is already harmful, even
if you don't actually do those things, so don't even think about them_.

* * *

#I suppose 'she' does not know her thinking is harmful, otherwise it sounds a
bit strange to me because in case she knows about her ability, then she is
intentionally doing harm, so the monster should beg her just to stop.

