The silence in Madison’s darkened room was oppressive, enveloping Greg and Cindy in a cocoon of isolation. They sat side by side, unmoving, lost in their own thoughts. It was difficult to tell how much time had passed, minutes could have stretched into hours for all they knew. The overwhelming weight of Madison’s words, the tearful declaration of her new role as their guardian, hung in the air, impossible to shake off.
Greg’s mind churned, going over every moment since this nightmare began. He couldn’t believe how quickly the power dynamic had shifted. His daughter, once someone he guided and protected, now held all the authority, twisting his and Cindy’s words and values against them. The bitter irony wasn’t lost on him, he had always believed in letting his daughters grow and make their own decisions. Now, that very independence had turned against him, trapping him in this role as her “little.”
Cindy, on the other hand, was tormented by her own past teachings. Every time Madison echoed something she had once said, it felt like a stab to the heart. Her beliefs about littles, her vocal stance on their place in society, were now chains around her and Greg’s necks. The more she thought about it, the more the guilt gnawed at her. She never wanted this for herself, or for Greg. But now, she was living through her worst fear, a little, subjected to rules she had once imposed on others.
They both remained seated, not out of obedience, but because standing simply didn’t occur to them. Their minds were too full of swirling thoughts and regrets, the reality of their situation crashing down in waves. The world they once knew had slipped away, and now, in the dim light of Madison’s room, they were trapped in this new reality.
Greg finally broke the silence with a whisper. “Cindy… what are we going to do?”
Cindy, still staring into the distance, shook her head slowly. “I don’t know, Greg… I just don’t know. This… this can’t be it. There has to be a way out of this. But I don’t see it right now.”
Neither of them could see a way forward, but they both knew one thing, they couldn’t give up. Not yet. But for now, they sat in silence, still seated as Madison had left them, their thoughts too heavy to allow any movement.
Greg stood abruptly, his frustration finally reaching a boiling point. His fist connected with the acrylic glass walls of the habitat, producing a dull, hollow thud. The impact reverberated through the small enclosure, but the walls held firm, as unyielding as the situation they found themselves in. Cindy looked up at him, seeing the raw anger etched across his face. She knew that look well, it was the look of a man who was desperate to reclaim the life that had been stolen from him.
Greg clenched his jaw, his hands trembling slightly as he stood over Cindy, breathing heavily. He wanted to scream, to shout, to demand their freedom, but he held back. She could see the struggle within him, the way he battled against the urge to explode. He wasn’t the kind of man to let his emotions get the better of him, he had always been the calm, steady one. The good father. The responsible one. But now, standing in this miniature prison, his patience was wearing thin.
Cindy remained seated, her heart heavy. She knew that no matter how much Greg wanted to vent his frustration, it wouldn’t change anything. They were trapped in a reality that defied reason, and they had no power to fight back. Even now, with Greg standing tall in defiance, the acrylic walls seemed to mock him, reminding them both of just how small and insignificant they had become in this world dominated by their own daughter.
“Greg…” Cindy’s voice was soft, almost pleading. She didn’t want him to break under the weight of it all. “I know you’re angry. I’m angry too. But… we have to be smart. We have to keep it together.”
Greg stared at the glass for a moment longer before turning to face his wife. His expression softened as he looked at her, the fire in his eyes dimming slightly. He sighed, running a hand through his hair, defeated. “I just… I don’t know how we’re supposed to do this, Cindy. How are we supposed to live like this? Being treated like… like pets?”
Cindy shook her head, her voice cracking. “I don’t know. But we can’t give up. We can’t let her win. We have to find a way through this… together.”
“Just say it, Greg,” Cindy said, standing as she stretched her stiff legs. “We need each other more than ever, so just say what you’re thinking. Get it out.”
Greg sighed heavily, his anger still simmering beneath the surface. “What were you thinking, Cindy? I mean, really? I love you, but what the hell? I can’t believe you said those things to our daughters. ‘God’s will?’ ‘Littles exist to serve man?’ I’m not saying I’m innocent here, but Madison, Madison loves you. She always has. The reason you two fight so much is that she’s just like you. She’s a mini version of you, always has been.”
He paused, struggling to steady his voice. “Now she thinks all of this, everything she’s doing, is because she wants you to be proud of her. She thinks this is what you want, not the ‘Little you,’ because you made sure she knew a Little’s place was beneath her. She’s not doing this out of cruelty, she’s doing it because she thinks she’s honoring us. Like the version of us before Smallara infected us.”
Greg turned back towards his wife, his voice softening but still filled with frustration. “You built this hell, and I’m just as guilty because I stood by and let it happen. I didn’t speak up because I didn’t care. Littles? Their rights? None of that mattered to me because I wasn’t one of them. I just wanted our girls to be happy. I wanted to give them a safe, loving home. I wanted them to know that outside of you, they’re the most important thing to me in the world.”
He ran a hand through his hair, the weight of his confession settling in. “We did this. Maybe I didn’t lay every brick or say every word, but I never stopped you. I never questioned it. This was your thing, and I still love you more than the day we met. And I don’t blame you, not fully. This is on both of us. When we got married, we promised for better or worse. Your mistakes are mine; your problems are mine, and it goes both ways. So please, don’t carry this alone. I just wish… I wish we could go back, do something different, and maybe fix this.”
Cindy’s face tightened, the weight of Greg’s words heavy between them. She wanted to argue, to defend herself, but deep down, she knew he was right. She had planted the seeds of this mess, and now, it had grown into something she never could have imagined.
“I know,” Cindy said quietly, looking down at her feet, her voice trembling slightly. “I know I screwed up. I pushed those ideas on them, made sure they believed in the things I thought were right, the things I thought mattered. I know how much strife that caused between McKenzie and I. I thought I was teaching them the way the world works… but I didn’t realize how twisted it would become.” She raised her eyes to meet Greg’s. “But I never wanted this. Never.”
Greg rubbed his temples, his frustration evident. “I get it, Cindy. You didn’t know. None of us could’ve imagined we’d end up like this, but Madison is trying to make sense of it, and she’s using the only framework you gave her. It’s all twisted up because she’s trying to honor this warped version of you she thinks is gone.”
Cindy winced at that, but she nodded. “She thinks she’s making me proud… She doesn’t even realize she’s breaking me. She’s so eager to do what she thinks I wanted that she’s not seeing the pain it’s causing.”
“That’s why this is so infuriating,” Greg continued, his voice rising with emotion. “She’s doing this out of love for you, and you… you made her believe this is what you wanted. You were her hero, Cindy. She’s always looked up to you. And now she’s using that to justify treating us like we’re less than human.”
Cindy’s eyes welled up with tears, the reality of their situation finally breaking her resolve. “I know, Greg. I know… and I hate it. I just don’t know how to fix it. How do I tell her that everything I’ve taught her is wrong? How do I undo years of beliefs?”
Greg sighed again, softer this time, and walked over to her, pulling her into a hug. “I don’t know if we can fix it. But we have to try. We have to start by surviving this. Maybe if she sees that we’re still her parents, that we still love her, she’ll start to break free from this mindset. But for now… we have to play the part. We have to get through to her, slowly. It’s the only way.”
Cindy nodded against Greg’s chest, her tears soaking into his shirt. “I don’t want to lose her, Greg. I can’t… she’s still my little girl.”
“I know, Cindy. I know. But we have to be careful. If we push too hard, we’ll lose whatever chance we have left. For now, we have to survive… for her.”
They stood there for a moment, holding each other in the silence of their tiny world, both knowing that their fight was just beginning, but hoping that somehow, they could find a way to undo the damage they had done.
GOD DAMN I hope their collars recorded this interaction and Madison or McKenzie sees this. This is by far the greatest interaction thus far. I honestly have a bit of optimism. But if their collars recorded it the girls need to see it. And I hope they do.
Dear god thank you I’m like the mention of recorded collars this whole time have been driving me insane and how no one else use the damn feature!!!!! Mads Kenz watch this damn clip for goodness sake!!!!
no one uses the feature because is time consuming. LIke if a little is stolen or injured or there is something that would lead them to want or need to review footage it would happen.
But as I started above in replay lee. People aren’t sitting around listening to audio or watching video of what there little said or did just for fun. People have actual things they enjoy doing and want to do in there free time which isn’t monitoring every syllable said or every itch scratched by there little.
I don’t remember if their collars can do that. Lethal will be able to confirm, but pretty sure they can’t
A couple things to keepin mind. Jordan has a very expensive collar. Most littles even at this point in time don’t have a collar as high tech as Jordans.
Also you have to remember even for collar that can record someone does have to go back and review the footage if they want to find or hear something. Even with keyword alerts and such with today’s technology going back to investigate and review does take time.
Not all guardians are going to take the time to scrub through hours of footage or audio. The intent is more its there if they need it or suspect something. But most people aren’t curling up on the couch in the evening listening to hours of audio or watching video of what there little did throughout the day.
its just not realistic ask. People don’t even do that with today’s technology in our world with video recorded for businesses. The video is just reviewed when a problem is reported mostly. There are exceptions but by and large that’s true for most companies.
Chapter 19: You are free to go
Roni and Joey hurriedly followed Santiago down stairs after he told both teenagers that Joey’s parents had come to a decision regarding Mr. Hale’s proposal. Both teens were rightfully nervous about what was going to happen, as this decision would affect the rest of their lives in different ways. Obviously for Joey, not only would this seal his fate and send him off to a facility far, far away from his home once he was reborn as a little, it would also mean that he would never see Roni or her family again, that he would never any of his friends again, and that, with high probability, he would end up being owned by someone that wouldn’t see him the way he thinks littles should be seen: as an equal.
Similar to Joey, Roni was nervous as she knew that this was, in essence, the last chance to save Joey short of pressing charges and getting Generitech officially involved in the situation. While she never really wanted a little, or really even put much thought into it, she did know that she didn’t want to lose her best friend. She didn’t want to live the rest of her life knowing that the one person she knew she could turn to no matter what, would be in the hands of some heartless slave driver forcing him to do God knows what for their amusement, never once taking his feelings into account. Roni may have to have Joey do some things for her as part of her agreement with her parents, but at least she knows what he is interested in and what he isn’t and can work around it. She had already decided that one thing that Joey could help her with is cleaning her Chibi figures, some of which Joey had helped her get. She knows he takes a great deal of pride in organizing and cleaning his own, so Roni figured that sharing ownership of her own with Joey would help him maintain an interest in something from his own life as well as let them maintain their mutual bond with each other.
The post negotiation tension was palpable as the three made their descent down the final set of stairs. Mr. Calhoun was doing his best to hide his frustration, but it was very clear that he had just been through a brutal talk with Mr. Hale. Leonard’s nostrils still flared, a vein was visible on the side of his head and throbbing, and despite the fact that his hands were held together within each other and his fingers were interlocked, it was clear that Leonard was squeezing them together as he tried to maintain some semblance of control over himself.
To his side, Mrs. Calhoun wasn’t fairing much better. Margaret had one arm folded across her chest while the other rested perpendicularly atop of it, her hand fiddling with one of her pearl earrings and pulling at her ear in frustration. Her eyes were bloodshot, and even as her son walked down the staircase, she couldn’t look in his direction. A nerve had been struck during the negotiations, and, whether or not she would admit it, Margaret had a very, very small gilmour of something Joey couldn’t really recognize.
Come to think of it, thought Joey as he really looked at both his parents and Mr. Hale, all three of them somehow looked different. He wasn’t quite sure, but their skin seemed to be a bit more detailed to him, being able to see more of the flaws from aging and each ones respective vices, whether it be drinking, smoking, or tanning for too long. He also noticed a bit more greying in Mr. Hales and his fathers hair, and, despite being clean shaven, Joey was even able to make out the beginning of stubble forming on his fathers face despite being on the other side of the room. In fact, as he glanced around the room, paintings and photos seemed more defined and clear, dust on a few vases was more visible, some spider webs in the corners of the room that would be normally imperceptible, stood out with prominence. Even Roni seemed to have more freckles on her face than Joey remembered as he looked at her from his peripheral vision. However, with a few blinks and a quick shake of his head, it all seemed to go back to normal.
Chalking it up to stress, Joey took a few breaths as Roni and Santigo stepped to the side, allowing him to stand before his parents alone. He could tell that they really had been put through the ringer, and hadn’t expected to hear whatever it was that Mr. Hale had said to them. Now directly in front of them, Joey’s nerves really began to get to him. His hands in his pocket were trembling, and his heart was beating forcibly against his chest at a mile a minute. Sweat was beginning to form on the back of his neck and even his mouth had gone dry as he stood at attention in front of his father and mother, feeling like a child again when he had broken one of the windows playing baseball in the backyard.
Mr. Calhoun was the first to act, taking half a step forward and letting out a sigh of exhaustion as his eyes shift from Joey, to Mr. Hale, and back. “Joey…your mother and I have…taken some time to really consider your situation, and I mean, really consider it” stated Mr. Calhoun, trying to sound fatherly, but coming off just as detached and disinterested in his underbred son as ever. “Its…come to our attention that we…might not be the best suited to…care for you and that we have been…well…causing more harm than good” he forced out, knowing Mr. Hale was glaring at him from the side.
Joey’s eyes widened a little bit, feeling the anticipation build as he listened to his father’s insincere attempt to sound like he and his mom actually cared about their treatment of him recently. “Go on” he simply stated, his voice calm and collected, hiding his true feelings about the current situation.
Mr. Calhoun’s upper lip twitched with a tinge of anger, “Okay, I won’t beat around the bush. We’ve dealt with your shit long enough Joey, your uppity attitude, your smart ass remarks, always pushing back against us. This…underbred thing…we could have handled, had you sent to live with your uncle, let Johnny visit, whatever…but that damn mouth of your…and your smug self-righteous attitude…your damn insistence that your kind matters! It all played against you!” bark Mr. Calhoun before feeling his wife’s hand rest on his shoulder, causing him to calm down a little. “The point is,” he said with a deep breath, “we want you gone, but since we apparently would have our asses handed to us in court for our so-called mistreatment of you, we’re going to let the Hale’s adopt you. It’s what they want, and frankly, it’s what’s best for everyone. You’ll get a home, and we’ll be rid of you permanently.”
With a softer tone, Mrs. Calhoun continued “This is the best decision for you. For all of us, Joey. You’ll have a family that can focus on your…needs, and a place where you can thrive. They’ll care for you in ways that..” she pauses, playing with her pearls as she considers her words before pursing her lips into a thin, seemingly fake smile, “well, in ways that we can’t.”
“Exactly” affirmed Mr. Calhoun, as he leaned in closer and spoke quieter to Joey so neither Roni or her father could hear, “We’re giving you a gift here, boy. If the threat of this being a public problem wasn’t looming overhead, your ass would be sent to Preematech so I’d know for a fact that none of this would come to light…but seeing as I can’t, I can at least stop this from being some damn spectacle and embarrass the family name. Now, you have 30 minutes to get your ass upstairs, pack whatever you can from your room, and after that, you leave. You don’t try to contact us, you and your new sister stay away from your brother, and you never tell anyone you were raised under this roof..” coldly finished Mr. Calhoun, a clear threat laced in his words.
Joey simply nodded, a mix of excitement and disbelief that he was actually going to be a Hale for the rest of his life starting to build inside. He pulled back from his dad, and look at both of them before quietly uttering one sentence that caught both of the Calhouns off guard: “thank you, and…well…you’re still my parents and I love you both…” and with that, Joey quickly moved to grab Roni, and ran upstairs to finish gathering his stuff, leaving his parents in stunned silence as they exchange unreadable glances with each other before leaving the foyer, Mr. Hale and Santiago left in confusion as they await the return of Roni and Joey.
Shortly after, the two teenagers return with a couple of boxes in their hands, containing various things that Joey felt either sentimental about or thought Roni could sell off or keep should she felt like it. They also had a box of the stuff they initially packed prior to coming downstairs, with a 3D printer and Joey’s laptop contained inside. With the help of Santigo, the three of them were able to get everything loaded up into Mr. Hales truck. As Mr. Hale and Roni got in, Joey walked back to the house with Santiago, allowing himself one final examination of the foyer, knowing he’d never step foot in this house again. What caught his eye, though, was an envelope with the name “Joey” on the console table. Confused, he walked up to it and picked it up, looking over at Santiago, who was equally confused, cluing in Joey that this wasn’t something from him. Before he could open it, Santiago had taken him in his embrace, giving him a firm hug.
“Good luck, Joey. Honest…the staff and I…we loved you…we really did, and we’re sorry to see you go” he said, holding back tears.
“Thank you, Santiago…” Joey quietly replied, returning Santiago’s hug, “I wish I could express my gratitude to everyone…Please let the rest know I’ll miss them and…please, please take care of Johnny…”
The two separate, and with a final, emotional handshake, Joey exits the house and walks down the steps of the porch, opening his envelope as he does so. What he finds inside stops him in his tracks, his breath caught in his throat and moisture forming in his eyes as he holds the object within the envelope in his hand. From inside the truck, Roni see’s this and frowns, believing Joey’s parents to have left one final jab at him. As Joey enters the truck, Roni, desperate to comfort him, climbs over the center console, much to the annoyance of her father, and wraps her arms around Joey.
“What is it Joey…” she asked quietly, bracing herself for an inevitably painful reveal of how his parents got one more shot in at his expense. However, what happened next caught her off guard, as Joey looked at her with a small smile and a few tears rolling down his cheeks.
“It’s a photo…” he whispered, “a picture of when I was 10 and Johnny was 6, with my mom and dad…it was our first family trip outside the baseball stadium…and…it’s the only copy of the photo that they had, as far as I know…” he finished, leaning into Roni’s embrace as he remembered the trip to San Francisco to watch the Giants play.
Roni held him close, allowing him to take comfort in her arms as she was looking at the photo of the happy family. The smiles on Joey’s parents face were a stark contrast to what she had seen earlier, and Joey’s happy smile was one she hadn’t associated with his mom and dad in a very long time. She didn’t quite understand why his parents left him the photo. Perhaps, she pondered, it was a way to get rid of the photo and forget Joey ever existed. But if that were true, why not shred it or something. A few minutes in relative silence as Mr. Hale drove the three of them back home, it had finally clicked for Roni, and a small wistful smile similar to the one Joey had on his face formed on her as well. It was given to him in malice or cruelty, it was given to him as a reminder that, for a time, they had been a happy family, and they had loved him unconditionally. “Maybe there’s hope for them after all…” she whispered to herself, thinking of a future where the two tyrants asked to see Joey again, “and maybe even monsters can still love their children”
I’m glad Joey got to be with the Roni. But it sucks that he wont be able to see his brother or the staff who clearly loved him.
Good use of Smallara lore in this. Its fun seeing how you use the settings and systems to craft this story. Its been fun to follow this adventure.
THank you. I was too certain if wild homo parvus actually starts seeing biological changes prior to their changes to littles or not, but I thought it’d be cool to have flashes like that come up every now and then.
It’s definitely going to be a challenge for Joey for a bit, too. Joey and Johnny were really close, especially when they became teenagers and Joey started being more rebellious, as he needed a confidant and support figure that wasn’t on his parents payroll, and brother stick together through this sort of thing. Santiago was a really close second in the household, but it’s a really weird dynamic to have with someone under your parents employee lol plus Joey never really was spoiled or anything that would’ve rubbed the employees the wrong way. He was rich, but a big thing with his family is that there usually aren’t handouts. Realistically, I’d even say Leonard and his siblings had good relationships with their staff growing up, it’s just Leonards the owner of the family company so he feels like he needs to be authoritative unless he gets taken advantage of.
I was going to be a real asshole with that photo too, thought about having Joey’s face cut out or something and actually make it a last shot at Joey, but figured that’d be too limiting if i wanted to revisit his parents in the future
I haven’t covered to much what its like pre-smallara. I like the idea of them seeing signs of things to come. Thats the kind of thing I would do in depicting such a thing but never gave much thought to it as its not an area I’ve focused on but I like the idea of it.
Will probably make it a canon side effect at some point.
1.1) Getting their values thrown in their faces continues to be a highlight of the series
1.2) Cindy’s hateful and authoritarian esc lessons that are only “technically not slavery” by the rules of this world are karmic and cruel
1.3) and Gregs inaction, allowing them to teach and learn around them as they pleased with little to no input from him is biting him in the arse.
2) Trying to make plans for how they’ll deal with the situation given their limited options would be so rough on their minds
3.1) Yes Greg, let your anger out! (Really glad it calmed when you looked at your wife)
4) Greg calling out Cindy was a long time coming, (even if he quickly backpedalled).
5) “Honouring their (Especially Cindy’s) memory” is a twisted yet fitting motivation for Madison
6) “and I’m just as guilty ” No, he’s not, He’s not innocent either, but he’s probably only half to a third as guilty, maybe down to a quarter considering he encouraged and defended Kenzie coming to her own opinions.
7) “None of that mattered to me because I wasn’t one of them” First Cindy came for the littles and Greg said nothing, for he was not a little (as far as he knew)
think you nailed everything I though about this chapter
1.1) Getting their values thrown in their faces continues to be a highlight of the series
I like that it gives credence to what is happening to them. Not that its fully justifys anything but it does serve to give a purpose to why what is happening is happening.
1.2) Cindy’s hateful and authoritarian esc lessons that are only “technically not slavery” by the rules of this world are karmic and cruel
what are esc lessons? I can piece together you are referring to her teachings but the acronym i’m unfamiliar with.
I do agree with you that they can be construed as a form of slavery by our standards in the real world because as people its harder to separate the fact that littles and people don’t deserve the same rights. Even if the society in this fictional world hasn’t developed in that way. It kind of reminds me of star trek where they would go to these new world and some of the beliefs weren’t what they had and they were viewed as backwater beliefs. However, they couldn’t interfere because the people of that world by their accords had the right to develop and evolve there society in there own way.
1.3) and Gregs inaction, allowing them to teach and learn around them as they pleased with little to no input from him is biting him in the arse.
When I created it I didn’t fully intend for this. But the more I’ve written it I do think greg has more of a out then cindy does by alot. As there are alot of things as people if they don’t effect us we don’t really care. Myself for example. I don’t htink animals should be abused but i’m also not doing anything to stop it from happening in this world. I know what Russia is doing to Ukraine is wrong and while im sympathetic to cause I’m also not flying over there to help out.
So while Greg didn’t really put these beliefs into play or condone them necessarily he didn’t really stop them but many are guilty of that for other things.
While some he does agree with like he didn’t see littles and people as equal that is a trait of many people in this world. But he also didn’t necessarily agree with or know the extremes cindy was going too.
2) Trying to make plans for how they’ll deal with the situation given their limited options would be so rough on their minds
It would be a little sad as they have to try to figure out how to live as littles in the world cindy helped make. They also have to prepare for a reality in which there daughters may not change there minds as it could be to late.
3.1) Yes Greg, let your anger out! (Really glad it calmed when you looked at your wife)
Well he does love his wife and he’s not a violent person. I tried to make it more like a real couples argument where when you do love the person. You are more restrained even if you do feel they messed up. There is a degree of we all know you fucked up. you don’t need me to tell you that. I can see the regret
4) Greg calling out Cindy was a long time coming, (even if he quickly backpedalled).
I wouldn’t say he fully backpedaled. The intent was he wasn’t going to run his wife into the ground because he does care and they do need each other. They are all they have. Plus if he just destroyed here she may not be all that useful in the coming days.
5) “Honouring their (Especially Cindy’s) memory” is a twisted yet fitting motivation for Madison
It’s mostly Cindy’s beliefs shes honoring but in Madison’s eyes this is what her mother believed in and fought for. This is what she spent her time educating people on and getting the training into the school, helping raise money for politicians to put laws into place to support the vision and belief. So to her seeing her mother be so passionate about it. She feels like she is doing right by her as she was and what she believed in.
6) “and I’m just as guilty ” No, he’s not, He’s not innocent either, but he’s probably only half to a third as guilty, maybe down to a quarter considering he encouraged and defended Kenzie coming to her own opinions.
I would say in reality Greg isn’t all that guilty. As while he didn’t do anything to change anyones beliefs his only real crime is just not caring. It’s not his job or place to moderate his wifes beliefs. I think every couple has things that the other believes that while the other may not agree with its also not a deal breaker. Littles kind of fell into that for Greg as since he was immune he just didn’t really care. Not in a malicious way just in the sense that he was more worried about putting food on the table, getting to spend time with is daughters, his wife, balancing work and family life. Etc. Little rights just didn’t rank highly for him as no one he knew was facing it or so he thought. Atleast that is the mindset i write his character from.
7) “None of that mattered to me because I wasn’t one of them” First Cindy came for the littles and Greg said nothing, for he was not a little (as far as he knew)
Yup most of my thoguhts on this one are also tied into others.
1.1) Not justified I agree, but it does make me less sympathetic for Cindy than I am for Jordan or Bryce, even Kelly or the brothers.
1.2) “authoritarian esc” was meant to be “Authoritarian esque” fucking autocorrect.
That’s why I called it “technically not slavery” as to me it will always be slavery, even if this world defines it differently. (and it’s not like it hasn’t canonically been compared to or even called slavery in the story)
2) That is very true, they’re trying to change their daughters’ minds, which would be akin to moving an immovable object that Cindy created.
3) That’s true, I want him to get angry and let it all out, but I don’t want him to be abusive to her.
4) That’s fair, but I still don’t think he should have claimed half the blame as he did.
6) I agree with what you’re saying, but my issue with Greg being equally guilty (or inactive people being equated to guilty people in general) is that whether or not he’s guilty is entirely reliant on the actions of another being bad, If Cindy was teaching that littles should be loved and cared for to a level of Chrissy or Kayla, maybe even McKenzie than Greg’s inaction wouldn’t be faulted as much, it’s only because she was teaching cruelty that he is seen as at fault.