Thinking about pre-witherstorm Lukas...
He was so arrogant and apathetic back then, but then you realise how much he changed so quickly the second he was away from the other Ocelots and it makes me wonder how much time he devoted to making himself as appealing to his friends as possible...
It can be hard to see at times but Lukas can actually be a pretty big people pleaser, it's just the first time we see him people pleasing it's to people who suck /hj.
Taking on a greaser/leather jacket gang aesthetic to make them all look cooler, which granted he does just seem to enjoy on his own but also likely did to appeal to them.
We dont see his love for writing/books kick in fully until the portal hall arc, and I like to think this was because the other ocelots bullied him out of it.
Lukas is naturally empathetic and gentle as a person, but imagine him trying to repress this for the sake of fitting in with the other Ocelots? Like how if Jesse says Aiden hurt Rueben by setting him on fire Lukas's first response is "maybe but I had nothing to do with it..." meanwhile post development Lukas would likely show a much kinder attitude in response. (Him trying to fit in with the other ocelots again, even if it goes against what he actually thinks.)
Lukas seems to rely heavily on how well liked he is by those around him, I think a good scene that shows this is if he leaves the dirt hurt/treehouse he seems to try and prove himself to Jesse-in a way. Gathering food for their team, telling them about how resourceful he is and how most of the time he is a good friend-showing that being a good friend is something he prides himself on.
Lukas is literally willing to go out alone in a giant eldritch horrors world to find his friends.
In episode 5 when he finally comes to terms with how genuinely awful Aiden and the blazerods are his immediate response is "I hope they fucking kill them." Which to me kinds reads as him finally getting to crash out over how much of himself he let be corrupted with their toxicity and the people who aided it.
Once his developments kinda finished he is ALL OVER Jesse. Constantly praising them, helping them in any way he can, even when he takes over as leader the occasional times he does he's always respectful and makes sure they know he values their leadership.
To me it reads as if Lukas is desperate to please, even if it means going against his actual desires and true thoughts. He says it himself he's been told he's resourceful, considered to be a good friend and this is what gives him his sense of self. If Lukas isn't being a good friend then he's being nothing at all in his eyes, so as long as he has friends who like him and keep him around then he considers himself fulfilled, even if those friends aren't the best people, so long as he's pleasing them, he himself is happy. The company he keeps also seem to leave a heavy impact on his personality, which is why we see him at his worst with the ocelots, and at his best with Jesse and their friends.
