One thing I really like about episode 5 is how much it is about all the different ways one can fail as a parent. Gabriella and Marius who failed their children and are absolutely unapologetic about it: they know they caused harm โ they simply couldn't care less. Louis and Lestat, who've failed Claudia and regret it so deeply they can barely function: what's done cannot be undone, it's too late for atonement โ she is dead, and no amount of remorse will bring her back to life. Armand and Daniel trying to mend their relationships with their children without realizing that there are things that cannot be fixed: even if they manage to reconnect, something between them will remain broken forever.
And then there are Akasha and Enkil โ parents of all vampires โ except most of their children don't even know they exist. And they still have such a strong connection to their absent parents they would literally die if anything were to happen to their Mother. In a way, every vampire in existence is a lost child forever searching for answers to questions that only parents can answer: "Who are we?", "Why do we exist?" and the like.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether you were driven by malice or had good intentions. Maybe you even had no intention of becoming a parent at all. You still failed, your children's pain is your fault, and they'll have to live with it. Your failures are never not going to hurt them.
