With him, unlike the opium addict, his unworthy behavior is accounted as "perfection" by his followers. When he abuses others, his words are accepted as blessings! When he beats someone, his beating is accepted as the descent of his grace! When he indulges in lovemaking with the opposite sex, it is accepted as pure love!
In short, whatever he does, anything and everything, is accepted in a spirit of reverence and love by the followers of the man who has posed as a saint. The more unruly his behavior, the greater the admiration of the followers. And the greater the admiration, the richer becomes the feeding of the ego of that man. Eventually, he falls from the high pedestal of admiration because, not being a genuine saint, the rich doses of admiration and reverence prove too much for the ego to digest! With his fall this "opiumized" saint is ridiculed. Those very persons who once called themselves his followers now scoff and call him a fraud.
Just as an opium addict has his personal friends who extol the effects of opium and bring into their fold innocent people, so, too, a person who poses as a saint has a ring of followers who extol him and his "miracles" to attract others to their fold. Such miracles may be just coincidences, or even genuine experiences of simple and devout followers who get desired results through their own faith in and love even for such an opiumized saint.
One who has no authority and yet permits people to bow down to him plays a losing game, while those who bow down gain. The unburdening of sanskaras [mental impressions] of those who bow down at his feet is the cause of his loss, for he takes on sanskaras that can only be wiped off by many more births.
The point to be considered is this: If thousands can benefit at the cost of a false saint, should this person be allowed to continue? If such a person is already in contact with a Perfect Master and loves him, the Master immediately puts a stop to this and corrects the man's shortcomings, and warns his followers about such unauthorized behavior. If, however, such a person is not already in contact with a Perfect Master, the Master never interferes, because eventually this person also derives some benefit. The Master knows that this is the play of ego. The cause of any eventual benefit to such a deluded person is that, at the cost of his own condemnation, he proved to be a dustbin for thousands to heap their sanskaras therein.