Sorry to be a wet blanket but I still find it depressing that even after Malevolent episode 26, I’ll still people talk about Arthur “losing his humanity” in season 3 as if it’s some confirmed major theme of the show.
It was explicitly addressed—and accurately portrayed—as trauma, including a mental breakdown and the emotional numbness surrounding it. Arthur said he was less than human, and John pushed back in one of the most tender and powerful moments of the show. Arthur hasn’t become less human, he was deeply wounded and suffering and needs someone to hold his head above water to keep him from drowning or giving up.
The fallout is UGLY, but humanity is not a zero sum game. Arthur spiraling into despair and violence as a trauma response is not “John soaking up his humanity like a sponge” parasitical relationship, but John using the very kindness, mercy, and hope he learned from Arthur to reach out to him. And most importantly, not give up on him.
Anyway I’m confiscating the word “humanity” from the fandom until further notice.