Am I the only one who sees 001 as a pretty straightforward guy and not so manipulative? I mean sure, he poses as Peter the orderly but that, I assume, is Dr. Brenner's doing.
To me, he seems like a(n admittedly unhinged or probably sociopathic) guy who plays nice because his situation is hopeless, who finally finds someone like him who he wants to save, who fights back against his oppressors once his shackles are broken, who then lashes out (at Eleven specifically), feeling hurt because the first person he's felt a real connection to rejects him.
He says so himself, that he doesn't want to pretend to be something he isn't, like his parents always did.
He's not completely manipulative. Just lonely in a world that doesn't make sense to him. Still evil. But more straightforward.
Edit: I love a healthy, friendly debate so I'll elaborate on a couple of bits to give my reasoning. I'm not saying I'm correct, but it's how I see it:
001 was always a lonely kid who didn't hang around children his age. There is a theme of bullying in s4 so perhaps because he was 'different' he may have been bullied in earlier life too, leading him to reject social connections.
Then come age 12, he's locked in a lab and, unless we find out otherwise in s4pt2, he stayed there. He had no chance to form attachments or mature socially.
So many years later when El shows up, there's a chance his stunted development still makes him think "ooo finally, someone like me. FRIEND." and so he connects with this little kid who 'can't be controlled like the others' like him.
Without feeling a connection to the other children in the programme, he sees them as nothing more than the animals he butchered as a kid and ends them all when he punishes the lab for what it did to him.
So now he's free, and he's got El, his new friend, with him. Time to start this new grand adventure. Only, she says no. And suddenly he realises that he misjudged her. She's not like him and doesn't see the world the same way he does.
If he truly didn't care for El, he could have butchered her alongside everyone else once the chip was removed. But actually he dragged her to safety when the guards attacked. He only attacked her once he realised they didn't share the same ideals.
You griped the dress that papa put you in, you knew the fate of the children in the lab but you couldnāt speak of it. The blonde boy once told you about the death that papa wants for the children. You had to find a way out of this hell. You went into the rainbow room, the piercing lights almost hypnotizing you to stay alert.
āAll right children, papa has a test for you all, get into a line and follow me.ā
āYes 111ā³ The children called your number simultaneously. It felt like a chant.
Thatās right, the church. You remember when you were small going to the church, why would you have to go you wondered, if there is a god why am I stuck here? You start to get lost in a trance and stop, the line stopping as well, when you feel a familiar hand on your shoulder.
āFocus triple one.ā The blonde boy said to you, you once saw a glimpse of his wrist, he had a tattoo as well, but you couldnāt make out what it was. You would just call him āsirā as he was a higher rank than you.
āThank you, I lost focus, I apologize.ā You continue walking down the bright hall, entering the dark room that papa uses to make one and another kid fight. You set the kids in the line and left to your room, screams came from somewhere, so you followed to see what they were. There was a door at the end of the hall that the screams sounded like they were coming from, as you got closer you recognized the voice.
āYou know the rules 001, donāt ever try to help 011 again.ā The guards threatened, You peeked through the crack beneath the door, you saw 001 on his knees in pain from the collar on his neck. You jumped up out of disgust and fear. How could they hurt him like this? 001ā¦that canāt be his number, 001 was only a myth. You heard the screams stop, and the clinkering of metal as the put they contraption away. Footsteps get closer to the door and quickly hide behind the wall next to the room.
The guards walked out, and 001 to follow after, you head to your room and question how you could talk to 001 for yourself.
Ā The next day you see 001 and 011 playing chess, he was telling her something, warning her possibly. You decide to supervise the room and after 011 walks away, her face is in shock, you quickly sit down across from 001 and whisper.
āI saw what happened yesterdayā¦ā
Silence
āWhat did you tell 011ā I said with a straight face, moving my pawn forward on the chess board.
āWe have a plan, a plan on how to escapeā He said.