where lies the strangling fruit

Driver caring so much about Irene that he helps her HUSBAND rob a pawn shop, knowing that if this robbery goes well he wont have a reason to stick around anymore.

Driver taking the money to her instead of using it to get away from everything.

Driver saying I COULD come with you, not I WILL come with you, showing how desperately he wants to be with her and how much he wants to leave this place yet still cares about her before anything else.

Driver risking his whole way of life not even to be with Irene, but for a CHANCE to have her get away from all the violence surrounding her, knowing that the only way for her to truly be safe is without him UGHH MY GOD I CANT I CANT

This is not Driver’s cat — in fact, Driver makes it abundantly clear that he thinks this cat doesn’t belong to ANYBODY, and that she’s in charge of herself. He knows that Ms. Dickinson is fed not just by his friend, Doc, but also by the rest of the community. This is not Driver’s cat!

But what this cat is, is the friend of his friend. So what does he do? He feeds her whenever he goes looking for Doc, and reassures Doc that she’s been fed (to which Doc says “Bitch has us all well-trained”). In the middle of both hunting people down and being hunted himself, after killing Nino, after confronting and killing Bernie Rose, after leaving everything behind, he still goes back, finds a cat carrier, and drives this cat eight hours away to the foster parents he hasn’t seen since he was sixteen. He still leaves a note that literally begs “Please take care of Miss Dickinson, just as you did me.”