Ooh this is a really interesting comment! It's nice to know a bit of the thought process that went into this story, I was a little curious.
I've definitely seen guys spout all the exact same talking points as the doctor online, and I've met some guys who hold the exact same opinions myself, so I don't really think it's unrealistic at all for a man to think all of this. I do think the fact the doctor only seems to talk in 'I hate women'-isms gets a bit wearying to read though, esp. since he doesn't seem to have much of a defined personality beyond not liking his female co-workers and wanting a trad wife haha ;;
I just think it would've been nice if there was a bit more to him. Even the most virulent misogynists will usually have a hobby or two, like fishing or whatever... If the doctor had talked about other things, it might've made him feel more 'realistic' to me (though again, I understand this story was made for a jam, and you might not have wanted to expand the scope too much).
As for your thoughts on the ending... I didn't necessarily regard the doctor rebooting Yumeko as him 'killing' her because she, unlike him, isn't a human: she's an AI. What's more, she's an AI the doctor coded (or partially coded) to have a companion who'll listen to his problems, because he (seemingly) doesn't have any friends or family. In that sense, it makes him feel like a pretty sad, lonely character. Maybe, if he had some real world relationships, he'd grow out of his harmful views and become a better person; it might not be too late for him...!
Then again, I know some guys really do go so far off the deep end and get so entrenched in hatred it's impossible to pull them out of it, so maybe he's too far gone by the start of the story.
In any case, since Yumeko is an AI the doctor created, I don't think it's inherently unethical that the doctor continues to tinker around with her source code. It's normal for programmers to reiterate on things, and if your code doesn't function the way you want then it makes sense to reprogram it. I feel like it might actually be a good thing that the doctor is venting his problems to an AI rather than a real woman: I'd rather he do that then harm real women.
I suppose, at the end of the day, it didn't seem like the doctor had actually done anything all that heinous byeond having Bad Opinions, so him being murdered felt a bit extreme. But maybe I'm being too literal; I suppose in this story Yumeko, despite being an AI, is advanced enough she's indistinguishable from a real woman. In that case, then yes, him keeping her a prisoner and reprogamming her until she can't refuse him is a vile act. Ultimately, however, I think I'm more predisposed to feel sympathy for the doctor because he's a human being.
(And yes, while I know the story is an allegory for an abusive relationship, I do think making one of the partners AI muddies things a bit; especially when attitudes towards AI are so negative lately).
Or, to be reductionist about it, if I was having a bad day and moaned to ChatGPT about it, I'd feel a bit peeved if ChatGPT used this as a justification to murder me lol
I also thinks there's something a little sad (but also kind of darkly amusing lol) about the doctor being so starved for human company he made a literal AI girlfriend who'll love him unconditionally, except she also hates him and keeps making snide remarks about him hahaha
I guess, at the end of the day, the doctor really wasn't that good at coding after all... 😔
Ohh, thank you for taking the time to respond! I'll keep my reply brief as I don't think there's too much to add. (Putting it below some spoiler tags as I will be delving into some discussions of abuse.)
===SPOILERS===
I think most of it can just be boiled down to the fact that I intended the story to indeed, be highly allegorical. Hence why the Doctor is defined by his hatred towards the world, and he has obsessed himself with creating a "perfect woman" who will solve his problems. It's why I don't give him a name, or even a face - he's not a person, just like how he does not treat Yumeko like a person. It's also why I wrote the story in second person - it is not "Yumeko," not "I," but "you" - the player.
Overall I wanted to be able to portray the experience of being in an abusive relationship or under oppressive gender expectations without necessarily conveying it with physical abuse, or sexual assault - since I think that media tends to gravitate towards portraying the suffering of women in such a manner: in a very physical, "in your face" way that is easily understandable, even if you've never experienced such a thing, while ignoring the more subtle ways in which women can be broken down, emotionally and psychologically. My usage of an AI here was mainly meant to convey her utter lack of control and experience, and how the Doctor claims ownership over her - as god and creator.
Admittedly I wouldn't make a commentary on AI in general, or the ethics of abusing an AI; I think you have a good point, and I think there would have to be discussions about "what constitutes a person" that I am nowhere near well-researched enough to have LOL (and I do think such concepts have already been explored by people much smarter than myself). I actually think that, in the Statue ending, in which she is still simply an "AI" - a set of coded instructions - her fate is quite kind, as she cannot feel pain.
Overall I did intend for Yumeko to be human, or to be interpreted as such! But of course I don't intend to prescribe a specific way of interpreting the story. I think expressing sympathy for the Doctor is quite kind, and a valuable way of interpreting the story as well.
Thank you again for the thoughtful comments, I quite enjoyed reading them!
Thank you for entertaining all of my comments, it's appreciated! At some point I think I was mostly musing to myself about things and how they were presented haha
I'm glad I read this in any case, since I've been turning over the story and the characters for the last day. It gave me a lot to think about! 🙏
I'm also nosy and I do like reading about the creative process for writers and what inspired them to present things the way they did, so it was interesting to hear about that too!