"Read words hard. No like!"
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I was originally going to make a lot of the points that others have made about this. The Carnations can walk away anytime, etc. Rather than rehash all of that again, I'll instead say the other thing that I thought of when I read your post.
Your reaction touches on one of my absolute favorite things about this game, something I have mentioned in this thread over and over. This game is written in such a way that it forces you to confront these questions, even as Edwin does. If we are to identify with Edwin as the protagonist, then we're forced to acknowledge whatever parallels may exist between him and ourselves, because that's what fiction does and how good writing works. And a lot of fiction doesn't do it well, but PC really does. It continually amazes me that PC has so much of what I cannot help but call Actual Literary Merit -- it's not something I expect in porn games! But TD is a fantastic writer and has created fully-imagined characters that behave like three-dimensional people with their own motivations, goals, and flaws. It's the characters and the story that keep me coming back, as fucked up as some of the situations are. I could watch extreme bondage porn anywhere, if I really wanted to. This is better, because these are people I feel like I know and understand to some extent, rather than merely body parts on a screen.
I think this was answered already, but here's my take: You can play a "nice-ish" MC who tries to take care of the girls and befriend them as much as possible during the terrible ordeal they're going through. In some cases, you can be an actual friend. There are also other girls besides the three Carnations, and your relationship with those girls *can* be a decent one. But the scenario is definitely pretty fucked up, and more or less every character is a walking ball of "I need therapy!" So it's very unlikely that everyone will end up getting a happy ending.
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One last thing I wanted to say re: Veronica without (hopefully) reigniting the whole argument. While she's absolutely been manipulated to take part in the competition, and her situation is certainly desperate, I would say it stops short of actual coercion. There's no threat of hart if she doesn't continue that wouldn't happen anyway. For me that's the difference maker. It's not "We'll do bad things to you if you quit" but rather "we won't step in and save you from the things you're trying to avoid."
Yes, Samson manipulated things and fucked her over, hoping he could manipulate her into joining the competition. But it was her choice to do it. There is no reason except for her own stubbornness that she couldn't let the gym die, put her dreams on hold for a few years, and go work for some corporate gym chain or sports team or whatever else as a personal trainer until she got her feet back under her.
