i think about john and dutch a lot, and i read a really great meta by @paperclipbracelet the other day that made me think a lot.

often times when the dynamic between dutch and john is discussed, people asses that john would have worshipped dutch in return. but what if he didn’t? what if part of what drew dutch to john was the chase and subsequent dopamine hits that came with succeeding in that relationship. arthur makes it easy, all dutch really has to do is call him “son” and arthur would throw himself off a cliff. literally. but with john, i wonder if part of what drew dutch in was figuring him out. both arthur and john are pretty introspective individuals, but i don't think it's outlandish to say arthur is a bit easier to figure out as a person and is more emotionally and socially in tune. (of course, they’re both quite awkward and withdrawn, and john he clearly grows a little more into his own by the events of rdr1)

i can imagine dutch feeling like he’s taking on some great challenge in deciphering what makes john tick and how to get him to regard him in the same respect arthur so easily does. when he “succeeds” its like a great triumph. he dotes on him, he goes easy on him, he talks him up, whether it's “deserved” or not because what he learns is this motivates arthur in turn as well. arthur vies for the attention dutch will so frivolously give to john, and dutch notices how much more he does what he’s withholding.

where arthur is like clay, easily molded, john was like stone that dutch needed to chip away at.