[ He already 'was'. Claude wonders if that's a mercy or if Oren struggles with his own selfhood the way any human might. But that's probably ugly projection.

It might have been easier for Oren, if he was just another doll made from scratch. Without autonomy, you never have to make decisions about yourself, and you certainly don't have to be plagued by the understanding of your limitations. If you're a failed product, you get scrapped, and everyone else moves on.

...Again, that's projecting. Ugh. Next. ]

I'd say that the ratio of things I know about you to the things I don't know about you are 2 to 8. But that goes for me, too, doesn't it?

I've not been too candid about myself either, after all.