Civil society groups are organisations that clearly polarise opinions in normative terms. Most people see civil society groups as a positive force in society on behalf of specific groups of citizens and also appreciate their role in improving democratic life thorough their function as arenas of social and political deliberation. They are then seen as a force for the good of society. However, civil society associations of extremist groups such as for instance anti-immigrant vigilante groups or more generally exclusionary groups focussing on a political enemy defined in ethnic, religious or political terms are often seen as evil by their opponents but as ‘good’ by supporters. In this paper, I will formulate criteria that allow a discussion of the contribution of associations for the ‘good of society’ and examine the extent to which extremist associations differ and to what extent fail to meet these criteria. After articulating the political impact of the categories of good and evil, I will connect them to a typology of ‘bad civil society’ and differentiate it with other types of organised civil society.