That's one of the things I don't get about this whole business. Epstein and Maxwell were constantly taking pictures with famous people, in many/most cases willingly, even after his first conviction. What did those people think was going on?

What do you mean? Specifically. From what I've read so far, people involved were mostly happy to attend and explicitly asking for his time rather than blackmailed.

That doesn't exactly tie in with reality - it's not like Epstein would be the only avenue for multi-billionaires to find partnerships.

And then you have Epstein, after Musk says "Hey, I'm looking for a wild party", saying "There are a bunch of UN diplomats visiting, do you want me to set up dinner for us?" "That sounds like the exact opposite of what I'm looking for. I want something where noone over the age of 25 is attending."