maybe this is a little silly of me to say, but am I the only one whoâs kind of surprised by Caineâs emotional intelligence in this scene?
Caine does not take suggestions or criticism well. Usually he doesnât even take them at all. But he does here. Gangle gives him a suggestion and he enthusiastically accepts. He tells her itâs a great idea. He even recognizes it as something that his adventures have been missing.
Now, Iâve seen a few people say that itâs malicious of him to specifically accept this suggestion when itâs the only one the humans have given him that features punishment. But hereâs the thing: he never actually implements the punishment. No one even fails their employee evaluation. Caine understands that the motivation specifically is what matters, and that a punishment would not make the adventure more enjoyable. He infers that the illusion of danger/consequences is enough.
This is noteworthy because what Caine struggles with the most is the why of things. He knows Zooble doesnât like their body, but he doesnât understand why. He knows stakes and suspense can be engaging, but he doesnât understand why. He knows the humans arenât happy, but he doesnât understand why. He knows the what, but he struggles incredibly hard to grasp the why.
But here, he does. I think the reason he understands what Gangle actually wants and what would make the adventure more enjoyable is because punishment is one concept that he can grasp. It is one he has experienced and can relate to. He has not experienced a longing for a home he canât return to, or body dysmorphia, or having his mental state rely on a prop. But punishment? He is intimately familiar with.
Caine is very much capable of empathy, itâs just that he has a limited range of experiences that overlap with the humans in the first place. But this happens to be one of them, so he can. He can think: âIâve been punished before for not performing properly. I didnât like that, so the humans probably donât either, which means thereâs something else Gangle must want aside from punishment itself that I can provide. Maybe the suspense from anticipating potential consequences is enough? Oh, motivation! Thatâs it!â
The other reason I think heâs receptive is simply because a human is seeking him out. This just doesnât happen. He has reached out to humans, but they donât reach out to him, at least not in a genuine manner. But Gangle calls him to have an honest conversation.
And thatâs the other part: how she talks to him. She does not criticize him or the adventure, she does not insult him, she does not demand anything of him. She essentially says âI was wondering if you could do this thingâ. She gives him the opportunity to give his feedback on her suggestion, and gives him some creative control (what the âpunishmentâ could be and how to go about it). A suggestion, not a demand, given without any snark or insults, that still gives him the opportunity for him to provide his own input and have some control.
That is the reason Caine is receptive of her suggestion. Itâs about how she presents it. I donât think Gangle even thought that hard about her phrasing, but it goes to show how sensitive Caine is.
Iâm not saying the humans should have to walk on eggshells in order to give Caine any criticism, nor am I saying heâs a saint for managing to empathize with and understand a human one time. What I am saying is that this instance provides interesting insight into Caineâs character and proves that he does have the potential to have healthy communication with the humans.
I know this isnât anything groundbreaking, but I just think itâs fun to analyze Caineâs character like this.
