Hello and Salutations!

Something that I don't see talked about is Johnny's hyper-sexuality, despite how prominent it is in his writing.

Hypersexuality is defined as an obsession with sexual thoughts, urges, or behaviors that are excessive and/or uncontrollable. Johnny often goes on long and VERY detailed rants about the women he sleeps with/ fantasies about (Honestly, he could've gotten a job at Penthouse with half of that shit). While out of left field, it does show how Johnny sees these encounters. A random hookup gets pages about the way her laughter sounds and how gentle she was with him. He remembers their names and problems despite how shallow their encounters really are. He wants a deeper connection to the people around him, and seems to use sex as a means to get that.

The causes for Hyper-sexuality is often attributed to psychological trauma, which Johnny has plenty of, though most notably is his foster father Raymond (FUCK RAYMOND ALL MY HOMIES HATE HATE HATE RAYMOND) and the sexual abuse he put the then 12 year old Johnny through. However, it can also be made worse through mental health disorders, like depression and BPD. We know that Johnny's mother had a unnamed mental disorder that causes hallucinations and it is heavily implied that he had this disorder passed onto him.

So, why sex? To me, it's connection/ self destruction. Johnny views himself as this unlovable monster (that 'minotaur') but still desperately wants that love. It feels good in the moment and that's what matters to Johnny, like the drugs he takes and the company he keeps. When it's over, he's all alone again, trapped in his own mental labyrinth.

Lude is a good friend, but an unintentional enabler. He is clearly going through his own issues with drug addiction, and in trying to make Johnny feel better, plays wingman in bars and helps him score drugs and drink. They're both damaged people trying to help each other in the only ways they know how, and unfortunately they don't know any healthy coping mechanisms. Lude is unable to break away from his habits, eventually spiraling into an addiction and his untimely death. Johnny, for all of his demons and trauma, was able to break free from that cycle. By saying goodbye to Thumper and burning Zampano's writing, he managed to wrangle a small amount of peace from the ashes.