Have Mercy!

On page 295, Margarita requests Woland to let Freida be free of her torment with the handkerchief. He starts talking about stuffing rags into every crack in his bedroom and after Margarita expresses her confusion with his statement, he then reveals, “I am talking about mercy. It sometimes unexpectedly and slyly creeps through the narrowest cracks.” I know at one point in class we talked about how Woland seems to give to each person what he deserves as opposed to Yeshua calling everyone a “good man.” This statement seems to confirm this side of Woland. He acts as though mercy has no place in his presence. The problem is he eventually allows the act to be completed anyway. Is Woland all-powerful, yet also somewhat of a pushover?
I commented on Abbie George's post.