Reading some of the comments...I don’t think he doubts Giovannis love for him. It’s rather insecurities about his worth and he’s scared that he might not be suitable for Gio after all. Hearing Gio’s coworkers going on about the imaginary perfect girlfriend made him rethink about himself and it made an even deeper scare in his self esteem. It’s not about love, it’s about whether he deserves Giovanni or not, and dear the gods I can’t believe his father and the other people aorund them had the audacity to make him doubt his value to begin with
The director felt like gave more than he received since young. A rift like that left on a child and never got healed, is probably still arching. Perphaps he would’ve felt like he could find more value in himself and felt less insecure about his existence after his mothers death. Instead she requested him to take care of the children. Making him give more to the very same source that has sucked energy from him in years. Him bitterly gnawing on what the children have and what they don’t need is him sizing what they don’t deserve and has to give back to him, in one way or another. It sounds somewhat childish but it’s like a child hovering over a box of candy not wanting to share: «You can’t have any more candy! You’ve taken a lil from me every single day. I can’t give you anymore. Stop bothering me»