According to the passage, ‘fall of the favourite’ is a

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

Although it is generally best not to mix work with friendship, there are times when a friend can be used to greater effect than an enemy. A man of power, for example, often has dirty work that has to be done, but for the sake of appearances it is generally preferable to have other people do it for him; friends often do this the best, since their affection for him makes them willing to take chances. Also, if plans go awry for some reason, the friend can be used as a convenient scapegoat. This ‘fall of the favourite’ was a trick often used by kings and sovereigns. They would let their closest friend at court take the fall for a mistake, since the public would not believe that they would deliberately sacrifice a friend for such purpose. Of course, once the card is played out, the friend is lost forever. It is best, then, to reserve the scapegoat role for someone who is close but not too close.
Finally, the problem about working with friends is that it confuses the boundaries and distances that working requires. But if both partners in the arrangement understand the dangers involved, a friend often can be employed to great effect. One must never let one’s guard down in such a venture, however; always be on the lookout for any signs of emotional disturbance such as envy and ingratitude. Nothing is stable in the realm of power, and even the closest of friends can be transformed into the worst of enemies.
When a friend is hired, his qualities kept hidden for long and let it come to fore by and by. Strangely enough, it is the act of kindness that unbalances everything. People want to feel they deserve their good fortune. The receipt of a favour can become oppressive. He may get a feeling that he has been chosen because he is a friend and not because he merited it. There is almost a touch of condescension in the act of hiring friends that secretly afflicts them. The injury will come out slowly. A little more honesty, flashes of resent and envy here and there, and before it is realized the friendship has faded away. The more favours and gifts one bestows to revive friendship, the less gratitude is received.
Ingratitude has a long and deep history. It has demonstrated its powers for so many centuries, that it is truly amazing that people continue to underestimate them. Better to be wary. One should never expect gratitude from a friend. It will be a pleasant surprise to find that they are actually grateful. The problem with using or hiring friends is that it will inevitably limit the power one intended to have. The friend is rarely the one who is most able to help; and in the end, skill and competence are far more important than friendly feelings.
All working situations require a kind of distance between people. People try to work, not to make friends; friendliness (real or false) only obscures that fact. The key to power is the ability to judge who is best suited to further the interests of an organization in all situations. Keep friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent. (Robert Greene in Power)