From his own posting and writing over the years, it sounds like Russ always wanted to be some sort of entertainer.
It isn’t discussed much because even Russ realized it was impossible with Moebius and abandoned it for writing, but he originally dreamed of being an actor. And I’m sure that’s solely because they’re the ones most in the limelight which would give him the adulation he demands.
We’ll never know if more or less hugs/beatings would’ve changed Russ, Hitler, Dahmer, or anyone.
But Russ has an ego to the Nth degree, to a level I’ve not seen in fictional characters destined to parody massive egos. He demands not only fame, millions, and beautiful women, but it was a forgone conclusion to him that “I Get You” would not only become Taylor Swift’s most successful song, but that Taylor Swift would be so moved by his efforts that she’d fall in love with him to boot.
And if you look at that song objectively outside of context of being written by Russ, the average 12 year old boy crushing on Taylor Swift could’ve written it in 5 minutes (outside of the law firm reference).
He also doesn’t understand, at all, that belittling children with cancer or major burns for getting attention from celebrities instead of him makes him look like a being of pure evil you might see in a Care Bears cartoon.
This level of narcissism has to be inborn and in that sense, Russ may be a victim of it the same way he’s a sufferer of Moebius. But his inability to learn, adapt, or change at all after constant failures and warnings is something he does to himself.
And Stinky, Russ did only say one hooker had AIDS, but he did double down and repeat that she had AIDS after removing the post initially in a rare moment of clarity that he ultimately rejected. Because Russ.
