Well, he is not as naive, not as weak, not as simple as he may look like at first in his youth... Yes, he looks way too innocent in a dark dirty world, but he loves reading and learnning and is investigating about pheromones in order to make the world better or something like that, even knowing that is prohibited... so he is not the type of person who acts all innocent while being ignorant and enjoying being loved ignoring other people's pain... Also, he seems weak but he endured famine, poverty and an illness that killed him without complainning, doing his best to raise his son as an only parent, teaching him values, and helping humans and vampires in misery as a doctor, with the few resources they had. So I guess he is just... that one in a million person who is truly kind and strong in a non agressive manner... like a pacifist or something?
I don't like Ellie because he seems rather fickle. First he wants to be by Humptys side, then it seems like he wants to be by Shells side, but then ultimately chooses White Bones. I feel like he leads people on and is just too naive to realize that he's hurting peoples feelings. He's been with Shell, Pain, and Humpty for years and then White comes along and swoops him away in a matter of 6 months. *whistles * Now that's a blow to the heart.
He promised to always be by Humptys side but it seems like that promise was thrown out the window once he met White. Humpty did a lot for Ellie. If he felt like Humpty was upset with him, some reconciliation should have been in order. But it doesn't seem like he was too preoccupied with White to give that some thought.
And no I'm not sticking up for humpty. I still hate him. I don't want to but I do. Just because his friend fell in love with someone else doesn't mean he betrayed Humpty.
In all honesty, both Ellie and Humpty are selfish. Humpty flat out ditches Ellie because he's not in love with him. And Ellie doesn't give a crap about consequences. His actions with White caused a lot of problems. Humpty becomes Frankenstein, A kid grows up miserable and alone, and White gets killed.
That being said, their problem is like a bad hair day. The world they live in is like standing in the middle of a sh*t storm. Crap is just flying everywhere.
( u_u)
It seems to me that Ellie's feelings were different for all these characters: at least it looks like he felt compassion and sympathy for Humpty, so when he saw him trying to commit suicide he tells him "I will always be by your side" because he wants Humpty to not give up on living and maybe to protect him in that moment... then they become friends and so he shares his world views and secrets with Humpty. Then he mets Shell and develops this brotherly, kind of mothernal feelings for Shell... and he is also amazed by his behaviour because seeing Shell Ellie realizes vampire's children are the same as humans, they also are capable of feeling fear, love, vulnerability... About Pain, I am guessing Ellie feels respect, admiration towards him because he is a strong guy with leadership qualities, but more than that considering PAin is a lot kind, tolerant, indulgent and almost spoiles Ellie... I guess Ellie has only seen his kinder side, so he may have developed affection for him, but not a friendship since there is a hierarchical relationship between them... So, White Bones is the only person for who he had real and strong romantic feelings... that infatuation seemed to blind Ellie when he met her, he seemed so amazed by her, maybe she was his first love. It also seemed like Ellie had no idea why Humpty was absent for a while nor why he started avoiding him, maybe Humpty's master lied and said he was travelling for work or something and Ellie didn't know Humpty was in pain and that is why he felt the feedom to enjoy his new love without worrying... and that must be why he felt so guilty and didn't hate Humpty when he killed him, because Ellie knew now that he had failed to protect and support his friend when he was being destroyed.
The point is that you can feel affecting or different types of love for a lot of people and that doesn't necessarilly mean you are fickle... But as you said I agree Ellie was naive (especially about people's intentions and feelings towards himself) and that naivety made him hurt people's feelings... he simply lives in a world that is too cruel and has too much faith in kindness
affecting: affection
I don't know y but I dont like Ellie. I mean he looks so innocent and shit in this whole brutal world. He looks like he would never felt anger or jealousy. Eveyrone is after him, humpty, white and his master and his son. Da fuq is it? Dunno, but for sure I don't like him.