Sophia being a chosen successor doesn't limit Van Doren and, if anything, it may actually give him extra kick out of the situation, like i've said before.
I think we agree that it gives Abel an extra kick, but I doubt the rest is quite as simple as you make it out to be, since the two have goals who are quite sure ready to turn the club topsyturvy.
This was a mistake on my part, i meant to say sociopath. Sophia evidently has no regard for others -- we are talking of a woman who, if nothing else, casually subjects everyone around her to unregulated, dangerous drug without even telling them, much less obtaining their consent. Simply for her own entertainment and with no regard for their well-being.
Sophia is just concerned about the placebo and double blind effects.
But seriously, Sophia is definitely amoral, she understands morals, but is indifferent to them. Actually she is not quite as bad as you make her out to be. She uses the perfume version only under special circumstances, like the club (which is also another hint towards her plans), not everyday or everywhere.In addition she tests and uses the drug on herself as well, so while not completely safe, I truly doubt she would use something which seriously risks her own wellbeing.
She is certainly not a white hat at our current knowledge, more grey with some black dots.
The reason goodish Edwin won't click with Sophia is because they're fundamentally different if not opposites. Goodish Edwin cares about feelings of others, something Sophia pays zero attention to and tramples upon. For goodish Edwin this sort of attitude would be simply abhorrent.
Even goodish Edwin can still have similar events/happenstances in his past, depending on what we chose as background. And you are wrong on the trampling on the feelings of others. That is Kath´s hallmark, quite strongly at that!
Sophia is an aloof eccentric, feelings play in the sidetheatre for her. Not once did she show glee at the misfortune of others or so! In fact, during the last conversation with Chuck it becomes clear that even she has limits to her amoral stance on life. It is blatantly obvious how much she loaths Chuck (Kath too, but that we already learned earlier).
Like i said, i very much think you're mistaken about these two actually "clicking together" and overlook that Edwin in his drugged state is a very unreliable narrator. The idea that "they've formed connection because she smiled and said goodbye after breaking into his house!" is... well, it's second-hand embarrassing to witness to be honest. I can't help but feel you're deluding yourself, but if it makes you happy, well.
sorry to tell you, but since you are anti-Sophia from the get go you miss something here.
Sophia is amoral, cold, eccentric, nerdy and a genius. We know her usual behaviour in the club (not elsewhere), which is aloof, few talk with her and her eccentrism makes it hard for anyone to get a conversation going that is not shop talk (which by the way our MC was able to, their talk together is rather open on both sides). When we now meet her we have two options, treat her nice and choose her later in the blue room or keep our distance.
Since I am sure you kept distance going by your arguments, you never got the text variations, Sophia not laughing with your joke and she walked out without a word after the home invasion.
If you treated her nice, chose her in the blue room, there are subtle text variations, she laughs with you at a joke and she smiles at you and says goodbye when leaving, which is why I posted a screenshot of this. For someone as detached as Sophia normally is, this behaviour is a major difference. Because these two nerds clicked together due to our choices. You make the mistake of starting from normal behaviour, not the detachment Sophia usually displays.
Doing what she did there might be nothing big for a normal person, but for a detached eccentric as Sophia is, her behaviour change is quite large! That is the reason you can rightly say, the MC and Sophia clicked that day, if you chose so.
