THis sounds like what God did to the people on the way from Egypt to Canaan. When they complained, he sent poisonous snakes among them. When Moses disappeared for a month, they decided to make a golden calf. then GOd killed a whole bunch more. there is at least a coulpe more of these. God was doing some serious moral culling along the way. I'm afraid it's shocking to the average reader.

I think the #3s can become #1 s randomly like popcorn. So it's hard to devise a flytrap. and by doing so #1s would become #3s . The #1s would go from being "Wise as serpents and harmless as doves" to just "wise serpents".

I think as #3s come into contact with the forged-in-the-fire #1s, expecting them to be #2s , they either shatter and reform as #1s or they self-destruct.