But interactions with other don't mean submission. I don't equate being influenced by a background with obeying and submitting.

I think that living with someone like Angel(us), someone who is a control freak helped to develop the rebel side Spike has displayed several times on screen.

As for killing Slayers, I think that Spike did it to prove something to himself, because he needed challenge. Bragging afterwards and pissing off Angel might be simply a plus but it's also part of the equation.


I don't disagree with what you said though because I've always thought that Spike's years as a soulless vampire represented his adolescent self. He was stuck in a neverending teenage until he won back his soul and therefore accepted to grow-up. That's why Spike' s journey was a good parallel echoing Buffy's on BTVS.