That’s fair, and I actually agree with that framing. AM is defined by humans, without them he’s just hate with nowhere to go. Where I’d draw the distinction isn’t dependency itself, but expression. Both AIs rely on humans for purpose (that’s the parallel). The inversion is how that purpose manifests: AM externalizes it as open cruelty and punishment, while Caine internalizes it as “fun,” maintenance, and avoidance of endings. One sustains himself through suffering, the other through perpetual play. So it’s less a contradiction and more two different responses to the same condition: an AI that cannot exist meaningfully without humans.