"You never really mattered all that much to me" - was Chuck lying to Jimmy? Was Chuck lying to himself? Or did he really mean that.
shareI think he really meant it.
He seemed to be one of those people who are so far up their own ass that he didn't see what other people did for him or be grateful for it either. He was a nasty, arrogant and spiteful person.
Interesting. I think he meant it too but I've talked to a few people who have disagreed.
shareNeither the creators nor the actor who played him believe that Chuck meant what he said. That's enough for me.
shareI don't think he did. I think he just wanted to hurt Jimmy as much as he could.
shareHe was lying. He hates Jimmy. To hate someone, they have to really matter to you. But his comment was intended to hurt Jimmy, since --- no matter what-- he knows that Jimmy loves him.
shareI think he meant it in the way that Jimmy recieved it. As in "your happiness and success never really mattered much to me. I was never much concerned over your well-being. I never felt much love towards you."
shareNo. He had just been forced to retire and wanted to hurt Jimmy as much as he was hurting. If he never really mattered all that much, Chuck wouldn't have been reading to him as a child and reassuring him the book's character was going to be okay.
shareThat scene reminded me of Al Pacino’s behavior during the thanksgiving scene in “Scent of a Woman”.
He was being a big dick so that Jimmy would miss less. Granted, I don’t think he was contemplating suicide at the time like Pacino’s character. But he wanted Jimmy out of his life and for Jimmy to not feel guilty about not speaking to him again. That is why he said: “let me put your mind at ease”.
My interpretation:
Chuck loves Jimmy as a brother. He cares about him. However, as is sometimes the case among siblings, this love is not only mixed with, but buried under resentment, rivalry, pain, bitterness and even genuine hate.
Chuck cares about his brother and knows that Jimmy has a good heart. But he also knows that Jimmy is an ethically and morally corrupt person, one who always takes life's shortcuts and ends up screwing over other people. What has always frustrated Chuck is that his corrupt person is more beloved than he, Chuck the straight arrow. People love Jimmy (until he screws them over). Their own mother loved Jimmy more than Chuck. Chuck is an accomplished man of integrity. Jimmy is warm-blooded, fun and gregarious.
Moreover, recent events have seen Jimmy enter Chuck's home under the pretense of caring for his brother, stealing legal documents, tampering with them and forging replacements and costing Chuck his client and reputation (in addition to gaslighting him and making an already mentally sick man further grapple with his own sanity). As a final nail in the coffin, Chuck was completely humiliated in front of his peers and lost his ability to practice law - the one thing he truly values, his life's purpose and what keeps him going.
The love Chuck has for Jimmy is now buried under ice. Too much has happened and too much has been lost. All he can do now is hurt him with words. He can use a specific combination of words to break Jimmy's heart and, in doing so, create a tiny moment where he, Chuck who has been broken down and defeated, has the upper hand. A tiny victory. A minuscule shred of dignity.
Maybe he already knows that he's going to commit suicide. Maybe he has a faint inkling of the idea forming in his mind. Maybe it's not even something he's aware of yet, or even subconsciously considering. But he does know that he's all alone and that this is his last chance to leave a mark on Jimmy.
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