What it generally boils down to in MM7 is selflessness vs selfishness, self-sacrifice vs sacrifice of others for your own ends. The good people are unconcerned by their own well-being, while the evil ones view this as their only priority, that's the basic difference. Many of the promotions of the Dark Path don't actually seem inherently evil (or more precisely: one could imagine non-evil people holding some of those ranks). The storylines of the Light and Dark paths are a contrast of hope for a better tomorrow and opportunist lust for power. The good guys wish to go home and continue their search for the Ancients (which would likely have been expanded upon had NWC made more MM games), while the bad guys didn't care anymore and wished to use the extant technology to usher in a new era of tyranny. Due to the scrapping of the Forge scenario, the Light path ending has been established as canon, but the effects of it have been left a loose end as well. One might theorize that in the future MM games Resurectra's team would have found the Ancients and returned to COLONY/Enroth and restored it to life single handedly after the Reckoning. If one considered the Dark Path scenario canon, the Forges would probably have sprung up all over Antagarich and conquered almost all of the continent before being obliterated by the Armageddon's Blade. The ironic thing is that the technology of the Heavenly Forges in the right hands would have given Erathia untold benefits, but Kastore decided to use them to produce naga tanks etc. This just shows how lust for power and ambition are capable of twisting a person's mind, making him absolutely uncaring of anyone's good but his own. And that's what being evil in MM7 amounts to. Let's now take a look at the promoted classes.
Champion/Black Knight
In a nicely surprising manner, MM7 introduced an evil but not undead knight, the Black Knight. The promotor Frederick Org notes that a Black Knight is a bold and daring criminal who engages in robberies and such. While the Champion fights for justice and to protect his people, the Black Knight usually does so only to further his interests or to cause others pain or suffering. Both classes tend to grow famous or notorious quickly, with Champions relying on Arena victories and Black Knights on their various misdemeanors and crimes. Frederick Org suggests that a Black Knight is evil at heart, but we have no idea whether this evil amounts to just being excessively selfish, or to deliberately hurting and torturing people for pleasure (as a Villain would). In any case, the Black Knights pride themselves on being courageous and never hesitant to act. A good example of one would probably be Lord Haart (although unsure here).
Spy/Assassin
This promotion fork shows that some people are just bad and they'll stay bad - the only question is just how bad. Bill Lasker only promotes Light Path Rogues because of the fact that he works for Queen Catherine, who herself claims to be of the Light. However, Lasker also had no qualms about sending the player to steal the vase Lord Markham received from Queen Catherine, so the reasons for his promotion seem more than just political. After you complete the Spy promotion quest, Lasker congratulates you on potentially saving many lives, which hows how deep down inside he's simply a good person. Therefore a Spy is a Rogue who has been given the opportunity to put his "shady" skills to use for the greater good. The Assassin on the other hand, instead of saving lives, takes them. He does so for pay, so not only must he be completely merciless, but also strictly selfish. The promotor Seknit Undershadow seems to be a nice fellow, but sense of humor can often serve only to disguise the feeling of guilt.
Hero/Villain
The epitomes of good and evil. These two guys, being Paladins, act good or evil on principle. The Hero enjoys nohting more than the rush of satisfaction from performing a good deed, while the Villain finds ecstasy in causing pain and suffering. Both of these classes have been somehow infantilized and hyperbolized to the point of appearing grotesque, as both Quixote and Will Setag seem to be extremely cliché and flamboyant. They also require the player to perform utterly stereotypical actions perceived as good or evil, but in honesty being more comical than anything else. Be that as it may, the Villain is probably the most intensely evil type of folk you'll find, and he's proud of it. He doesn't seem to actually be selfish, as doing evil itself is reward enough for him. Both he and the Hero are like more flamboyant and radiant versions of the Champion/Black Knight, also being very courageous and eager to prove themselves.
Master Archer/Sniper
Master Archer is what seems to be a natural progression for an Archer, but MM7 requires the Light Path to go this way. The Dark Path, on the other hand, offers your Warrior Mages to become Snipers. A Sniper doesn't seem like an overly pleasant job, but there appears to be no inherent evil in being one. As Steagal Snick suggests, all it takes to be a Sniper is a merciless heart needed to have no regrets after killing people from a distance. He seems to be a nice or at least reasonable folk, although somewhat jaded and disillusioned with the world (he expresses considerable disdain towards the notion of peace treaties), however he shows no cruelty, dark humor, ruling ambition nor any other trait that could be considered evil. Our characters, following the Path of Dark are of course all evil and selfish, but a Sniper wouldn't always have to act evil or in a destructive way. The Master Archer Lawrence Mark, on the other hand, seems to be slightly arrogant, or at least very proud of his archery skills. Other than that, he's a kind-hearted man with a strong sense of justice, as opposed to the more pragmatical Snick. He is perceived by Snick as "lily-livered", which probably reflects his peaceful and unaggressive nature and hesitation when it comes to killing others. Overall, Snipers seem to be one of the the more interesting morally ambiguous classes.
Master/Ninja
Stephan Sand explains it all very well, a Ninja is a follower of the "more aggressive side of disciplined life". The Ninjas are merciless warriors for hire, ready to kill anyone if the pay is right. They display crabby demeanor, and even their skills point at the activities they'll likely engage in (bonuses to stealing and trap disarming). They stand as a polar opposite to the serene and spiritual Masters, who are peaceful, wise and insightful. The Ninjas instead are cruel, snide and ambitious. They also seem to perceive their status as something to be proud of in relation to their pasts as simple Monks, whom they view as weak. Sand himself also seems to express a significant loathing for "sniveling do-gooders", because of their being considerate for others. This only shows how egotistical your typical Ninja is - probably due to the places they live in where all that matters is your personal strength. This leads us to the conclusion that the Ninja is just another person who has lost faith in the good of this world, probably due to somebody failing him at some point. A person made evil by others.
Ranger Lord/Bounty Hunter
A Ranger is the jack-of-all-trades. A survival-oriented individualist capable of learning anything they can to maintain themselves. A Ranger Lord is someone who has grown attached to the land and ready to serve and protect it. All the skills he's picked up, he'll use to quell the troubles of the land, being content only with a place to sleep and some food. The Bounty Hunter is the polar opposite - having severed his ties with the land, he uses his various abilities only to make money, therefore making him the most selfish character out there. According to Ebednezer Sower, what should drive a Bounty Hunter is his pleasure of killing, being the only confirmed class to derive actual pleasure from doing this. This puts the Bounty Hunter among the most morally despicable Dark Path characters.
Arch Druid/Warlock
Arch Druids are calm, wise souls maintaining a strong connection to the land and acting in servitude to it, much like Rangers. They're spiritual and sage-like in nature, and don't seem to be overly temperamental. Warlocks, on the other hand, are more selfish, ambitious and power-hungry, using their powers to their own benefit, rather than the land's. Tor Anwyn suggests that the Warlocks are neutral in alignment "following the Path of Twilight or Dawn", however he adds that his spells and rituals cannot promote someone pure of heart (a Light Path follower). That could mean that ambition and lust for power are traits that nurture the very essence of what a Warlock is - though not necessarily evil, it can consume the Warlock and make him actually a seriously bad guy. In-game, the Warlocks are referred to as reasonable, good traders and relatively calm (never starting a fight), and they boast a good amount of achievements in alchemy, metallurgy and craftsmanship. They also express a loathing for Necromancy and Lichdom, which they share with the inherently good factions. Tor Anwyn himself is polite and doesn't belittle the player for choosing the Light Path - if he is the leader of all the Warlocks, then it's a strong argument about the Warlocks not being inherently evil. Of course, if they travel with a party allied with Deyja, it's another story...
Priest of the Light/Priest of the Dark
In the case of these two fellows it all boils down to religious differences. The former worships one religion, the latter the other. What's apparent is their devotion to their faith that can border on fanaticism. The Priests of the Light follow a religion that teaches to be good to others and preaches non-violence, serenity and peace, while the Priests of the Dark adhere to a cult that promotes human sacrifice, among other things. Being so devoted to their faiths as they are, it can be established that their personalities reflect very well what they worship. This makes Priests of the Dark intensely evil abominations (as if using the Dark Magic itself wasn't enough) who murder and sacrifice people for their own benefit. I have no idea whether Priests of the Dark have to maintain chastity, but even if they do, their vile ways more than make up for it.
Archmage/Lich
The sorcerers lusting for knowledge can also take two paths, one leading towards the power of Light, the other towards Necromancy and self-destruction. The good Sorcerers, when they become Archmagi, develop great powers, but use them for the good. They can be devastating in fights when they need to, but overall they maintain a cheerful demeanor with a bright sense of humor and brisk perkiness. When lust for power consumes a Wizard, though, he often gets tempted to practice Dark Magic. Necromancy and other Dark arts drain the life from the mage the more they are used, so in the end they must become Liches or die. A Lich is a soulless, immortal undead creature retaining its full intelligence from life. They are most certainly evil, as the sole fact of being ready to sacrifice your own flesh for the sake of eternal power proves their excessive ambition. Halfgild Wynac said that he found life more painful than Lichdom, so it's possible that some Wizards and Necromancers wish to attain Lichdom to escape the sorrows of mortal life. Be that as it may, Liches are almost unanimously evil and they tend to scheme and vie for power whenever they can, Sandro being the prime example.
I hope this essay was not overly annoying. Please share your own opinions regarding good, evil and neutrality in the M&M universe!
The world around you is indifferent and utterly numb to anything you do.
The Nameless Mod is also a huge favourite of mine.
