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[Astutillo Smeriglia] genie.exe has stopped working
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Supposedly they are malevolent spirits that sometimes may grant wishes as a reward, not by some compulsion.
Depends on the story, and IIRC it has shifted with time. But yeah, the general trope is they are stuck in a small vessel, and they offer/are extorted into one or more wishes to free them. Why they are stuck ranges from evil sorcerer trying to enslave them to noble hero stopping their rampage.