Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-11058666-20141228031222/@comment-4975807-20150313225743

Rumple wanted to be free so if someone wielded the dagger, he wouldn't have to bend to the person's orders/commands. Yet, by using the hat to do so, he would also be able to keep his Dark One powers even after being free from the dagger's will. He was trying to cleave himself from the dagger, but he still wanted keep his powers. That is definitely not "good" intentions, in my opinion. Rumple still cared about retaining his powers and was willing to absorb people into the hat to do it. That's just selfish behavior.