Was Eric a tool for Dylan?

So we learn in Sue's book that Dylan thought Eric was "crazy". Yet he still seemed to need Eric as a friend, even more so than his other friends he seemed to want Eric to believe he was on his side. I think Eric said many things that Dylan didn't agree with, such as his anti-semitic remarks. Dylan knew he couldn't achieve suicide on his own, NBK was the way to soften the fall. Eric's violent fantasies could have excited Dylan's previous fantasies of going NBK with Zack. With zack it was just a fantasy based on a movie, but if it could be a shared fantasy with Eric that's when it could work it's way into reality. He wanted to take that leap to his death, and Eric was the only one willing to give a boost. Maybe if he wasn't suicidal, he would have distanced himself from Eric.

Both boys needed each other.

ldg1414 wrote:

So we learn in Sue's book that Dylan thought Eric was "crazy". Yet he still seemed to need Eric as a friend, even more so than his other friends he seemed to want Eric to believe he was on his side. I think Eric said many things that Dylan didn't agree with, such as his anti-semitic remarks. Dylan knew he couldn't achieve suicide on his own, NBK was the way to soften the fall. Eric's violent fantasies could have excited Dylan's previous fantasies of going NBK with Zack. With zack it was just a fantasy based on a movie, but if it could be a shared fantasy with Eric that's when it could work it's way into reality. He wanted to take that leap to his death, and Eric was the only one willing to give a boost. Maybe if he wasn't suicidal, he would have distanced himself from Eric.

Maybe Dylan liked the excitement, and the excuse to go from shy nerd to bad boy (I think of the cliche from 80s movies where the gawky bespectacled kid puts on sunglasses and a leather jacket and "goes baaaad" as character development.) [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Maybe Dylan wanted to strike back at the jocks, but didn't know how until Eric showed up with the means to do so. Dylan was the cause in need of a rebel such as Eric.

Maybe he felt good about caretaking a high-maintenance friend who he shared things with, for his ego as well as liking who Eric was (the way some people have pet tigers who aren't tame but who are loyal to their owners as long as the owner doesn't make any false moves.) Maybe all or any of these.

I agree, They needed each other. Both filled needs the other one had,
And Dylan sure didn't think that Eric was too crazy to be best friends with all those years. Plus, who did Dylan die with?
Dylan was far closer to Eric than anyone else for the last couple of years of his life.