I'm so happy you played this too! Thank you so much! You seem to have a great understanding of Benji's character! Control is one of the variables that can get influenced depending on choices with Benji. He'll always need control, but the intensity and ways in which he maintains it may shift. You are also right, he has his own traumas...not that this justifies his actions in any way.
Yaaaay so glad that Ellis resonated with you! In many ways, Ellis is more accepting of player and doesn't try to change them. I think that's what draws them together at first. He provides a type of empathy that the player has never had, but he's also controlling in his own way, since he believes he knows what's best. In a very general nutshell, Benji is "let's stay together because you need me," & Ellis is "let's stay together because it's destiny."
Thank you sooo much again for playing & sharing these wonderful thoughts!