Syag,
a good question whether we transfer knowledge correctly. I can’t project how would Berdichever react to the smoker were he shown effects of second-hand smoking. Chofetz Chaim both combines positive feelings toward imperfect Yidden, and also sometimes castigates those who are wrong. In the commissar story, he does not sound too positive with the pshat – he came (presumably at some personal risk) to deny the person his only defense in olam habo condemning him to gehinom. Of course, you can read this as a desperate attempt to shock the guy into a teshuva, despite all odds.
But I don’t think you argue with me on judgment, you simply argue on facts. It sounds like if you were to see people getting sick right when you pass them coughing, you would stop. You simply claim that nobody got sick in your kehilla (except that you did), and multitudes of people were coughing but then went to test and all had common cold. Shoyn. May Hashem continue protecting your miraculous community thanks to whatever zehus you have. This is, unfortunately, not the case in the places I know more about.