That doesn't work with Joseph's age though. It's been flat out said that he's been a slave of the Vandros family for over five centuries... I could change it I suppose. I think this is supposed to be around 2050, however, as Erik was born a slave in one of the earlier factories. So around 1820 or so. That would make the dates line up, and if technology is more equivalent to now instead of 40 years from now, that helps with some of the disparity due to time and effort being expended on slave control tech.

Alright, fair enough. That works for me. I'm sorry that it came up. But that's something I can't change about his character. To me, attempted suicide is a logical conclusion, given what he thinks he knows and given his experiences. And it's made worse by the hormonal and psychological changes that are happening in his head.