"I hated to disappoint him": John versus his children's feelings.

As you already know, the reason that I love what I call Lynnsights is Lynn's habit of cheerfully revealing incredibly damaging information about herself that tends to confirm any sort of suspicion that she's a fairly horrible person. We're about to be reminded of just how proud she is of being a nasty human being when she makes a whole lot of defensive noise about how hating haters who hate get all defensive and snippy over what she calls nothing: John insisting on his absolute right as Mike's father to expose the boy to the humiliation of being publicly exposed. Just as she saw no real problem with terrorizing her kid brother so she could laugh at his confusion and terror, Lynn seems to see nothing in the least wrong with John traumatizing Mike so he can be reminded that dignity is for those who can defend it. To her, it's hilarious to see the weak insist on being treated with any sort of fairness because only those who can fight back deserve it.

This, I think, is most of what made the Housening such a revolting display. April's feelings of betrayal, confusion and terror were not to be thought of as invitations to pity her but as a means of inspiring indulgent laughter at her expense because it's just a kid getting hurt and not someone who can fight back and win. John's smirking refusal to realize that her feelings are no laughing matter are the culmination of a life wasted following the hatefully anti-human delusion that if other people's noses happen to get in the way when he swings his arm, that's their fault and if people come in and tell him different, they're the ones being unrealistic.