Caine as an antagonist is actually so interesting, because it's a case of abusive behavior where the abuser is quite sympathetic, almost pitiable.
Because to be clear: what he does to the Circus residents is abuse.
I mean, that whole test he constructed was so profoundly cruel. Caine clearly does know that they want to leave, because everyone has told him so. And despite knowing he can't (or won't) give them that, Caine made a fake version of himself to pretend to be their ally (against himself) and offer a fake potential escape.
Caine was testing his victims, seeing if they would leave him, and then was ready to reward them for choosing to stay. (Maybe also punish them if they would've chosen to leave.) All without any risk that they would actually be able to go anywhere. That was cruel, and exactly the kind of thing you'd expect from an abusive relationship.
I believe that Caine isn't keeping them trapped, at least not knowingly or deliberately, because his ignorance of the real world seems to be quite sincere. I can't say whether, if he could make the residents happy by letting them leave, Caine would do it, but it does seem like that's not even an option for him.
But instead of being forthright, Caine lies and obfuscates and does whatever he can just to feel a little bit in control. He clearly does know that the humans he's meant to be making happy are miserable with their current existence, yet he takes that as a personal insult rather than reacting with concern. And the idea of clear, open communication never occurs to him.
How much Caine knows, how much control he really has, how and why and to what extent he erases the resident's memories...well, that's still up in the air. But he's not a totally innocent or hapless victim, as Abel's distrust of Kinger showed.
It just really is fascinating that Gooseworx and Glitch managed to write an abusive AI overlord and make him pitiful.
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