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Notes -
The cat thing is weird but again, she is obsessed with a guy, loves him more than herself, her well-being, her hygiene, her parents and everybody else she ever loved, and the main emotion she knows he is feeling at the time is grief for this creature. It makes some sense she would be driven to worship it as well.
I think this gets into psychological, cognitive theories of consciousness. The concept of 'fake it till you make it', or whatever sales seminar propagate, is about gaining the confidence to grow into certain psychological attributes. We are in some ways what we do. There is also Stockholm syndrome.
How does the magic work? Is it like inducing an addiction to a drug? Junkies probably hate being addicted to their chemical, yet they must take it.
Perhaps she gets rewarded if she gets validation that her love is legitimate, reciprocal, or something.
Perhaps what we are shown with the phone call to customer service is what she actually feels whenever she is apart from Bear.
What we see when she begs for death could simply be a moment of lucidity which I'm sure junkies also get.
These are the best parts of the movies and pretty much what the guy specializes in with his sketch comedy. Compare to the attitude of a long-time liquor store employee in a seedy part of town when a guy covered in vomit or perhaps blood comes in.
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