Yes! And that interpretation is super interesting because it absolutely leaves open a supernatural reading where Dorian Gray did nothing wrong - he was just cursed to destroy the people around him.
(There's also a non-supernatural version where a lot of Dorian's friends had nervous breakdowns, attempted suicide, or went mad because non-neurotypical people tend to find each other. It isn't Dorian's fault that all the people in his set who were already not coping with life looked at him and found a kindred spirit! Practically everybody in my friend groups is either in psychiatric treatment or should be and nobody is poisoning us, we just found each other. Another thing that's like Tumblr...)
The episode with what's-his-name at the opium den really says things in that interpretation too - because that points up that Dorian isn't intending to drive all his friends to ruin, isn't really sure why it's happening, finds it disturbing, and wants to help them if he can! He just isn't very good at helping, and also has a little bit of an object permanence problem when it comes to relationships, I can relate. (Also, honestly, the boy in the opium den still seems halfway to think that's preferable to going back home to his family and Dorian did him a good turn - and maybe he's right. He's the only one of Dorian's 'victims' we actually see.)
I actually find that version really interesting!
But the "most terrible confession I ever read" - assuming the confession itself wasn't a complete lie - makes it hard to really buy the "Dorian did nothing wrong!" read. He clearly has done something more depraved and harmful than just generally being careless with people and a bad influence. (And murder.)
no subject
(There's also a non-supernatural version where a lot of Dorian's friends had nervous breakdowns, attempted suicide, or went mad because non-neurotypical people tend to find each other. It isn't Dorian's fault that all the people in his set who were already not coping with life looked at him and found a kindred spirit! Practically everybody in my friend groups is either in psychiatric treatment or should be and nobody is poisoning us, we just found each other. Another thing that's like Tumblr...)
The episode with what's-his-name at the opium den really says things in that interpretation too - because that points up that Dorian isn't intending to drive all his friends to ruin, isn't really sure why it's happening, finds it disturbing, and wants to help them if he can! He just isn't very good at helping, and also has a little bit of an object permanence problem when it comes to relationships, I can relate. (Also, honestly, the boy in the opium den still seems halfway to think that's preferable to going back home to his family and Dorian did him a good turn - and maybe he's right. He's the only one of Dorian's 'victims' we actually see.)
I actually find that version really interesting!
But the "most terrible confession I ever read" - assuming the confession itself wasn't a complete lie - makes it hard to really buy the "Dorian did nothing wrong!" read. He clearly has done something more depraved and harmful than just generally being careless with people and a bad influence. (And murder.)