The issues each keeper kid has with the idea of love, the very deep error each of them assumes is integral to love
Sophie: Assumes love cannot be permanent. There's a definite end to it. At some point, in her mind, she thinks that it will end, that she'll do something, and people will just stop loving, stop caring. She can't escape that fear.
Keefe: Thinks that love is just an emotion. That it fades, ebbs and pulls with just the gooey feelings. That it's just fluff, and as soon as the emotions fade, there's nothing left, and that if he makes those emotions fade, love doesn't exist anymore.
Fitz: Thinks love is acceptance. He's so internalized that to be loved that he must be acceptable, that he must be good, must be perfect. He doesn't think you can be loved unless you're perfect, to some definite measure.
Biana: Assumes that love has conditions. It's all about losses and gains to her, not about choosing to will the good of the other. She thinks that love has to do with what someone can give you, what you can get from someone else. She assumes, falsely, that love is an exchange of goods, of what you can offer someone else, of what you own and what your stature is, while true love is simply an exchange of persons.
Tam: Thinks love is rare. That it's special. That it's something you get maybe once or twice in a lifetime. That people shouldn't love every single person, that loving is extra special, extra strange, extra unique, and doesn't exist in the world as often as most people think it does. Love doesn't really exist, and if it does, it's so very, very, very rare.
Linh: Assumes that love is a demand. It's a requirement to do certain things. It's chains, in a sense. They hold you in place, make sure you can't move. You need to be better, be stronger, be smarter, be tougher, prove that you're worth loving. Prove that you're worth loving, she thinks to herself, sometimes, prove that these people can believe in you. Prove them right. Don't crush them with your ruinous reality.
Marella: Thinks that love is an emotion. A lot like Keefe, she thinks that love flows and ebbs like a tide, flowing in and out. She's a little more steady in how constant she believes love is than he is, but she definitely thinks it's just a chemical reaction in your head.
Dex: is actually okay. He's had enough good friendships and relationships with family to know that love is a choice, constant and firm, to will the good of the other. No matter if that means telling them hard truths, or putting yourself in the way of a bullet, or even just keeping your temper when discussing things with them. Love is a determined resolve to respect and protect the other person, and Dex actually knows that.
Stina: Thinks that love is pain. She thinks that to love someone you must be willing to constantly suffer. It's one of the reasons she tries to be so mean. She doesn't want to be hurting. Because once you love someone, she thinks, you're in for a world of suffering.
Maruca: Doesn't think love exists. It's literally just chemicals, brain thoughts, and it doesn't exist, isn't real. It's a lie, pushed by card companies, to sell anniversary cards and valentines day things. None of it exists, none of it is important, none of it is real. Why would you ever want someone to care about you?
Even sadder, all of them have reasoning heind this- especially sophie. So far, she's had no permanent love. The parents who raised her see her as a literal stranger, her sister is... there. (Their relationship seems complicated). Her new parents may still somewhat see her as Jolie's "replacement" in a sense.
All her friends have hurt or betrayed her in some way - leaving her behind (Even with good intentions), lashing out in anger or grief, outright humiliating her in public, lying to her to get close to whatever "power" she has
Any live she has now is relatively new. And live she had before is gone. She loves everyone, but in too distance a way to recognize it, and it's overshadowed by her grief and constant hurricane of emotions, usually negative.
For her, love is impermanent. It will end. Maybe by force, maybe one does smth to cause the falling out. But it ends, always


















