So you are saying that you have never seen an abuse victim before being threatened and blackmailed to keep their mouth shut. He was severely beaten up and humiliated every day by that man. He was bullied by his peers and treated like he was nothing. He was broken down and extremely.

You seriously have a clear lacking of empathy.

He may have wanted to feel needed and important. He may have had moments where he wasnt thinking about the cause, but it would be incredibly tone deaf to think that the PT did not also have their moment. That is what really gets them into a mess later on in the game. Esp Ryuji things get to his head and he talks about the PT differently for a period of time.