There is No Ludwig Family, that is the tragedy
the prototype and poppy's relationship is way more complex than people realize and dumbing it down to "sibling behaviour" is disrespectful to the story, nevermind the fact of a "ludwig family", that is literally the thing elliot did not even manage to create for himself. everyone he got close to abandoned him, though he kept up a optimistic facade and his words were ironic, that a smile is worth more than anything, because, to him, that is the only thing he cannot get.
his wife divorces him because he's a workaholic. his adopted daughter dies prematurely. he turned his surrogate "sons" into monsters, one was with a lack of empathy and the other unable to control his anger - both children, from abusive homes.
the one elliot couldn't tame because he wasn't gullible enough to believe in his sugar-coated delusions, "for the benefit of humanity" when he has been abused by his own family, knowledge becoming his only solace and trusting in this "adoptive father", smiling with him through his sadness and not only taking after him, reading the solutions laid out on paper pages that produced life, and crying at the awful life ludwig sent him back to again. harley, at this point (though not like ollie) has been subtly groomed by him, and left alone to rot once elliot didn't see him like an ideal subject to share his dreams to, almost as if punishing him for not being perfect, when he, too, is a selfish man. so harley did the same thing to the other orphans, turned them into unwilling monsters. though he saw elliot as too soft, he still took on a different, twisted kind of sugar-coated delusion, but one rooted in logic because his emotions betrayed him.. so this leads into his fate as one, all-knowing eye with no body at all as he wished to bury himself and never feel the pain of being taken advantage of again. this way, he can never feel the risk of sensations and touch, the warmth and hope in a welcoming father figure. the gentle voices lie, don't they? as much as elliot makes himself sound good, he still has his flaws and those flaws affect the people around him. he knew he wouldn't be able to trick harley into maybe becoming an experiment, because while young, he wasn't that impressionable (and def not suited to be one as he wouldn't be able to be controlled or is even his son in name, so what's the point of it?which proves to me that he only saw potential in him for himself to use, cause if he really cared, he wouldn't have given up so easily) but he did pass on some things to him, leading to his doom. could have elliot been doing this subc? probably, but they were still his decisions to take. he's a selfish man, the first thing he passed on to this poor kid (because it was the only reason he joined in, and the only thing they talked about) was his belief in progress to the betterment of humanity (and also his experimenting skills, which is something surprisingly both "sons" share) i do think he felt pity for Harley and cared about him SOMEWHAT but obviously not enough. "but its not his business" it kinda is tho? by the existence of oliver, its proven hes not afraid to take some random mentally ill kid home and teach him how to be good?? so he probably never had any interest (only superficial and "paternal") for harley in the first place.
oliver, while we don't know much, had to come from a family where he was physically beaten ("you'll pick up a hammer just like them!"), so elliot took him in and kept talking to him about poppy which made oliver jealous but this also lead into him being obsessed with poppy, just like elliot was. his perfectionistic and snarky attitude is a result of being directly groomed into an experiment, with elliot promising he is doing it for his "better place", oliver not being able to even consent because he's a child which is another red flag, then failing at comforting him while he is crying at being turned into a labrat, regretting it instantly. "we can be a family, if you want" and those little stammers, along with "i think you and her would get along really well" just adds more salt to the wound. "my boy" him being repulsed by it clearly shows, he doesn't think of him as his father, because now it is evidently clear. he is not his child, he's a coping mechanism. he used him because he wasn't able to fight back, oliver's reaction was a result of elliot's selfishness and lying to his face even when it becomes clear he is nothing to him. he is only comforting him because, realistically, what else could you do in that situation other than try to make him feel better? then not even giving him a proper burial, shoving his body in a FUCKING duffel bag. and we know poppy never talked to prototype while inside the house cause elliot would have introduced him to her as her "brother" and considering how prototype never even brings up elliot, then he must not even care about him anymore. the only thing he cares about poppy, just like how the golden path was promised to harley, a totem. his unfulfilled heart was promised a companion, an eve. he was going to meet her, but he never wanted it to be about family, because if he really wanted it to be about that, had he actually seen them as family, he would've taken the opportunity to manipulate her even more in that way, not only would it help in shattering this idealistic view of him to her, it would make her being able to sympathize with him even more but strangely enough, he never does. he's only focused on his kingdom, just like how harley was The Doctor, the prototype was the Jester who overthrew the King. in fact it is heavily implied he had a hand in killing elliot. he wants to "purge all evil from the world" and that included his fool of a "father" as his first kill. he feels that the love in his heart is missing and instead of turning the hole into logic, he turns it into perfectionism. he starts a cult, gets some followers, says some scary lines, makes himself threatening but then, just like when you see his appearence, he is infact, not that scary at all. though he became evil, he is still a little child inside and it is accentuated by his jester motifs, as well as the three colours on his outfit which symbolize completeness which is what he's trying to achieve. ever since birth, he has wanted to change others because he never has truly felt in control or safe in his home, never with his family, never with elliot, so he starts a massive rebellion, the hour of joy. he's had enough of all the abuse inflicted on him.
both acquired subordinates to feed into their supposed power
both get impatient easily
so what does this tell us? it tells us that harley and oliver are symbolically elliot's children, and the only one who is truly his kid is poppy.
she runs away from her problems, she was quite literally kept in a little "bubble" but involuntarily while elliot did it to himself. she uses others under a good and moralistic guise, wants to end everyone's suffering but not thinking of what they really want in the first place. even when not affected by her father negatively (unlike the others), she still takes on his traits and cheery attitude. prototype and doctor don't do the same, they don't promise a good ending:
(not trying to slander poppy i feel so bad for her😭 shes just a kid)
because she actually is just like her father.
freedom can be taken away just as easily if you are the one controlling it, love can just be as dangerous if you don't know how to do it correctly. it can feel restraining and abusive.
progression (and being too smart for your own good) can quickly turn into excessive research on mutilating the body, enjoying it and hyperfixiating on the secret to becoming immortal that you're no longer human.
" I built us a home and kept us safe. And you repaid me by bringing in an outsider... And plotting to destroy the only heaven you and I will ever get."
"What's a dozen children, a thousand, next to this? What would they have been otherwise? Another drooling automaton out in the world, blindly accepting the offerings of better men?! I gave them purpose! I made their lives matter!"
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