Yeah, that makes perfect sense to me -- I mean, it's pretty common for abused kids to grow up and be emotionally stunted, right? Especially in the absence of therapy.

Re Fredersdorf: so you think he was holding on to him, hmm, socially/politically and possibly sexually, but not emotionally? Interesting.

It also occurs to me also that there is an aspect of emotional relationship security that he couldn't have by definition with a subordinate who was paid to attend him, as Fredersdorf was. The closest he could get was Wilhelmine, which probably worked as a band-aid, at least, until she died.