This is an excellent post, and I had some of the same assumptions. I always wondered, why JH didn't just move EG and family to New Mexico so he would have a long drive time. There would have been more family support there, too. You're probably right, that he had control issues, and this was one way of keeping her trapped/controlled. I also think, he probably had a side item in New Mexico. MOO. Guys are more sexually driven creatures than what we are, and I don't see why he wouldn't have someone on the side. This would explain one reason, why EG and family weren't moved to New Mexico. He didn't want EG to find out, and then there wouldn't be anyone to take of Lucas. And, then JH would lose his job and *advertiser censored* would hit the fan. Unless JH and EG had an open relationship. We don't know...
I also feel like JH did use EG for child care, and amongst other things. JH had to also have KNOWN about EG using meth, and it is possible he was smoking the meth, too. All I know is JH shouldn't have gotten Lucas back. He couldn't provide the emotional support that Lucas needed since he was gone an X amount of days a month. I know if I was JH, I would have left Lucas with whoever was previously taking care of him. Especially if I wasn't going to be around very much. I wouldn't leave him with some girl, who was obviously abusing him. I wonder if JH thought his job was more important than Lucas, too. If Lucas was actually important to him, he would have moved them to New Mexico, so he could eat dinner in the evenings with his family, and tuck Lucas into bed at night. JH was just looking for a full-time, free babysitter. I also think if JH had actually loved EG, he would have done the same thing, moved them to New Mexico. This way, she could get a break from time to time. But, I think he wanted her trapped and didn't care about her actual mental well-being. I don't know why EG would hang around, besides needing someone to care for her.
