characters who have built themselves up around a comparison to someone else, someone they should have been but weren't, meanwhile that other perfect, unacheivable, real model person is right there and is ALSO facing the SAME dilemma of not being the right self. not being the perfect them they were supposed to be. characters who are imperfect copies of imperfect copies, you understand? characters who will never have a self that isnt defined by the failure to even be a failure of someone else. how can you make a whole identity when the shred you started with was the worst of someone else? when that someone else was also the worst of someone else and managed to be perfect anyway, as far as everyone says to you? it doesnt matter if THEY still hate themself, everyone ELSE seems to think theyre perfect. at least compared to you.
