bOoBs

I like to think of Charlie's messy habits/dirtiness in general as an unintentional coping mechanism from growing up with his mother. I feel like it's pretty clear that she has OCD, and looking at how easily she gets upset, along with how clean her house is, I could see her possibly doing obsessive cleaning and that becoming overwhelming for Charlie. That could lead to him surrounding himself in filth, as that's his filth that he's able to control. He also shows a distaste in "gross" or "wet" things in sexual context, which could also be triggering (I feel like theres a better word for exactly what I mean but I'm not sure what) for him considering how sexual things were normalized/around him a lot as a child, both indirectly (his mom being a prostitute) and directly (uncle Jack), and he may associate sexual acts with him involved with not having control.

far too many people treat charlie kelly as if he were a real-life child instead of a fictional adult man. the outrage and histrionic behavior towards anybody who dares to acknowledge that charlie, a character on the “terrible people caged in a labyrinth of abuse and toxicity who will never foster normal relationships or lead functioning lives” show is responsible for heinous actions or has formed interpersonal bonds that are uncomfortable or cross conventional boundaries is lowkey unbearable to witness. i love charlie, but it is ridiculously difficult to engage with his character on online forums because it is rendered a mortal sin to propose any analysis other than “charlie is a uwu asexual skrunkly baby whose intentions are pure of heart”

By valid interpretation, there was a brief point in time where Charlie’s legal relationship to Dennis and Dee was literally “father-in-law” given he had a domestic partnership with Frank at a point where Frank was still legally the twins father (and tbh we don’t even know if he no longer is legally their father, all we know for sure is he wrote them out of his will)

HES THEIR STEP DAD ASDFGHJKL