get me out of here

I feel like I'm exaggerating using this term, but I was verbally assaulted on the subway this morning. I was sitting, reading, and minding my own business when a seat opened up next to me. There was plenty of space between me and the next person over, so I was surprised when someone sat so close to me as to be practically in my lap. When I looked up, I saw a mentally disturbed man, shaking and grumbling to himself, who was pressed up against me with space left over on the other side of him.

While in any other situation you would quickly remove yourself, I actually hesitated, having been brainwashed by this city to tolerate all kinds of invasions of private space. I did get up, however, and walked to wait by the nearest door since the next stop was mine. As soon as I did this, the man began yelling at me for the next three minutes or so, "Do you think you're special?! You're not goddamn special!" and other lovely sentiments. In between curses, he glared at me. I pretended to read Alice Munro. As the train approached the station, he got up and approached me to tell me to my face how unspecial I was. I'm pretty sure he followed me off the train, but I escaped into a crowd.

The worst part is that - besides feeling angry and frightened - I felt guilty. I felt mean for hurting the crazy man's feelings and not putting up with his behavior. Why should I have to even be in a scenario like that? This is the kind of dilemma I just don't want to deal with anymore.