Can I avoid losing rating points against a cheater?

I did not want you to believe I did not read your message, but the conversation continued because someone else (Barahir, I think, in message #4) experienced a different outcome, i.e. the game was automatically ended after the cheater was caught. And I was intrigued about the reason why they are different solutions, but I guess it does not matter since Fenris is statistically right about his talk about rating. If we play enough games, we are supposed to stabilize at a certain number, but hopefully make progress!

And about cheating, I don't understand at all what kind of enjoyment people have. I would understand someone testing his own machine that he developped himself, but using the machine provided by lichess... I don't see the point of this.

I honestly think quite a lot of them are likely suffering from mental disorders. I've known people with severe bipolar disorder who engage in pathological lies, kleptomania, narcissism/megalomania and various other traits that include cheating.

One of them, a brother of a very close friend of mine, actually used a chess app on his smart phone to secretly play the computer's moves in a simple over the board game they were playing...until he was caught doing it anyway. Why would one do that? If there are people who will cheat in a casual game over the table with their own brother, there are plenty of people who will get off on it for whatever reason behind the anonymity of the internet. Quite sad.

Have you noticed that LM Bubuz was a cheater?

Point of clarity: I actually legitimately meant "quite sad" when I typed it. It wasn't just some condescending jab. If cheating in internet chess is simply one of the many other destructive traits they engage in due to a mental disorder, I feel for them and their loved ones. I've seen many people ruin their lives and/or their families/friends lives from untreated mental disorders.