Suddenly Todd isn't a taxi driver who lost himself to alcohol struggling to provide for his daughter after his wife died and he became unemployable, he's some dude who sold his taxi to buy a wifebot and daughterbot for the purpose of getting drunk and abusing them.
I think that the implication is that the robots are replacements for the family that left him
Wifebot's story isn't about a robot demonstrating what it means to be human by risking everything to protect her daughter, it's a robot who decides to endanger herself, another robot, and some humans because it likes roleplaying.
Wifebot is in denial about it and deluding herself until near the end, so the narrative is undermined by an inexplicable bullshit twist, but I don't think it's because of liking roleplay.
That said, I think the story would've been better if the android woman adopted the human girl. It would've helped the themes on people as property and how children and spouses are treated like that today.
Instead with both as androids, it's an android caring for another android while the guy who bought them did so out of spite.
Also as an aside, who thought having a lifelike child android would be a good idea in any way in the setting?
I think that the implication is that the robots are replacements for the family that left him
Wifebot is in denial about it and deluding herself until near the end, so the narrative is undermined by an inexplicable bullshit twist, but I don't think it's because of liking roleplay.
That said, I think the story would've been better if the android woman adopted the human girl. It would've helped the themes on people as property and how children and spouses are treated like that today.
Instead with both as androids, it's an android caring for another android while the guy who bought them did so out of spite.
Also as an aside, who thought having a lifelike child android would be a good idea in any way in the setting?