Shadows don't care about their Living Dolls because of the "coffee"
Okay, so, I've been binging through Shadows House (manga) and I really love it. I love the characters and their interactions, as well as the relationships between the Shadows and their Faces. However, one thing that struck me was that, as taught by the Adults, Shadows should not have any feeling towards their Faces. Faces, known as Living Dolls, are just tools to be used.
But that's not the case at all. In the Children's Wing, we clearly see that many Shadows care deeply over their Faces. Yes, there are exceptions (*coughMiaandSaracough*) but for the most part, Shadows and Dolls have a cordial relationship, especially in the main cast.
This is where the "coffee" comes in.
In the context of the series, "coffee" is the substance the Shadows House uses to control the Faces; it plants an undying loyalty towards the house via brainwashing, and removes them of any individuality. This is something the Faces must take once a week after their debut and in doing so, turns them into Living Dolls. Because of it, the Shadows don't care about them, thinking them as nothing but robots that they can order around and play with.
But when a Doll doesn't have their coffee? That's when things go awry.
Without coffee, the Dolls maintain their personality and humanity. In doing so, they differ greatly from their Shadow masters. But at the same time, this difference is what leads to the Shadows being more thoughtful and caring for them. John (a Shadow) was distraught of Shaun (his Face) when it's found that he was brainwashed via coffee. This is because before that, Shaun wasn't just a Living Doll – he was his caretaker. Shaun feed John his vegetables, Shaun scolds him whenever he messes up despite John being his master. There was familial love between them because of the differences they had.
In contrast, there's Suzanne (the Shadow) and Suzy (the Face). When the bottles of coffee were destroyed, Suzanne was quick to anger against her Face, blaming her for the trouble. However, it immediately backfired when another pointed out that Suzy acted exactly as Suzanne would've. Meaning, Suzy made a decision than Suzanne would do herself, so blaming Suzy is the same as blaming Suzanne. This, of course, frustrates her greatly. Suzanne thinks nothing of Suzy other than a tool, and you don't blame tools for their master's work.
This is even more apparent with the Adults. For children to be adults, the Shadows and Dolls must sync almost perfectly. But if the Shadows and their Faces differ so much in terms of personality, this means the risk of failure is much higher. The "coffee" helps ensure the Faces become nothing but husks that mimic their Shadows, increasing the chances of success. And Adults have shown to not care at all about their Faces, not even bothering to remember their names even though it's almost the same as their own (as shown by Edward).
The "coffee" isn't just a tool for oppression; it's the necessary cog that ensures the society that the Shadows House built stay as it is. Anyone that disagrees, whether Shadow or Face, are disposed of. A Shadow's purpose is to serve the House; it is just as much of a prison to them as it is to the Dolls.
And all of this can only be done because of the coffee making sure the Dolls don't act out of line, and the Shadows mimicking the brainwashed into becoming brainwashed themselves, leading to the Shadows not caring because even the Dolls don't.
The Dolls play a crucial role, maybe even the most vital, in the development of the Shadows. Mess the Doll, you mess the Shadow. But leave them alone? Then you'll have more John/Shaun then Suzanne/Suzy.
