I get that's the point, lol, he's an angsty teen without the emotional tools or support system.

His only redeeming quality (shown to us in the book} is he understands the innocence of kids. Otherwise it's just a pretty boring story with a character I don't really care for, and am not given a reason to care for until his breakdown at the very end.

Riffing here: seeing his struggle after his breakdown would likely have been the interesting story. In reality most kids like him never reach the point of a breakdown and just remain annoying.