I WAS FOR US VS THEM UNTIL US TURNED OUT TO BE THEM:

Brazil's democracy is teetering on the edge, but its collapse is not inevitable. Its rejuvenation will demand foresight, humility, tolerance and the courage to confront what appear to be insurmountable differences. No matter who wins the second round, the coming weeks and months will see polarization deepening and the tide of hatred rising. This does not make the pursuit of a progressive middle ground and real solutions to Brazil's problems any less important.

The election underlines the scale of Brazil's divisive politics. The country's political polarization is deeply personal, cutting across age, gender and class. Many friends and family members are openly wondering whether their parents, siblings or colleagues who supported Mr. Bolsonaro were always closet authoritarians. And those who did not support him are visibly nervous, fearful of the violent resentment that his campaign unleashed.

Mr. Bolsonaro's success owes much to his power to divide. Many of his core followers -- especially the young men who make up his base -- are committed to his corruption-busting and communist-combating crusade. Others, including middle-class women, are attracted more narrowly to his "tough on crime" message. And some of the country's business elite see in Mr. Bolsonaro -- along with his running mate, the retired army general Antonio Hamilton Mourão, and his pro-market financial adviser, Paulo Guedes -- a bulwark against the return of the left-wing Workers' Party and its jailed leader, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Brazil's three major political parties share the blame for the country's fragmentation. Both Mr. Lula and his successor, Dilma Rousseff, regularly invoked "us versus them" rhetoric during their 13 years in power, especially when faced with mounting corruption scandals unearthed by the "Carwash" investigations. The other two main parties -- P.M.D.B. and P.S.D.B. -- also set Brazil on a collision course when they voted to unseat Ms. Rousseff in August 2016. Described by Ms. Rousseff's supporters as an illegal coup, the impeachment further divided Brazilians.

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