are people actually shocked that Louis did something selfish & exploitative? those are like two of the core tenants of who he is as a person. he's self righteous and simultaneously self-destructive. he's deeply hypocritical and is constantly in denial. Claudia was right about him over and over and over again, AND HE'S BECOME MY FAVORITE! he's all of those things and somehow still a likeable, sympathetic, and at times relatable character. that's not an easy thing to pull off, but the writing combined with Jacob's performance allow Louis to have so many layers! those layers are what make him, and every other character in the series so interesting! why would you want to get rid of them or pretend they don't exist??
idk man, i'm just baffled that anyone with such stark black & white thinking/need for there to be a "good guy" got through two seasons and three episodes of this show lol
louis in s1e1 at his lowest and most earnest in confession saying "i take daughters with no homes and i put them out on the streets, and i lie to myself saying im giving them a roof"
jackob saying in behind the scenes of s3e3 saying "i don't think what he's doing is right but he believes he's doing what's right"
louis creating claudia and telling himself he was saving her when he was just assuaging his own guilt?
are people still surprised he acts selfishly while lying to himself he's doing it to help someone else?
YES! everything Louis does is informed by his need to be able to live with himself! guilt and regret seep out of every action he takes! and it's NEVER about who he's hurt even if he tells himself it is.
there's definitely a parallel between Claudia and the sex workers: the women Louis employs are at risk of violence and illness. Claudia is forever trapped in the body of a child. the sex workers make Louis money and Claudia allows Louis to wash his hands of the violence he unintentionally incited against the Black community in NOLA (along with the opportunity to play house with Lestat). he tells himself that he's looking out for them, protecting them, saving them when in actuality, he's profiting off of them in ways he can't make himself give up, so he justifies it.
now in Detroit, Louis goes through the same thought process he went through after Claudia's death:
I can't bring Claudia back, but I can at least make myself feel better about it.
because, it's never been about her. not really.
