Can a victim of emotional and verbal abuse love the abuser?
Abusers and their victims form dyad's of codependency. It takes two to tango and an equal number to sustain a long term abusive relationship. The abuser and the abused form a bond, a dynamic, and a dependence. Expressions such as "follies a deux", "shared psychosis", and the "Stockholm Syndrome" capture facets two of a myriad of this danse macabre. It often ends fatally. It is always an excruciatingly painful affair.
Being a great believer in common sense and having been in the same situation for many years, I think the answer here is very obvious. Would you allow your self to be abused by someone who didn't matter to you?
YES, THE ABUSED CAN AND OFTEN DOES LOVE THE ABUSER. THEY KNOW THAT HE CAN BE A GOOD PERSON.
See "Stockholm Syndrome".
It's not genuine love - it's a psychological yearning based on fear and control. There is no sound reason to really love an abuser - you can have compassion for them - but not the kind of love that motivates you to stay in a relationship with someone who treats you like crap.