This poor boy has yearned for nothing but love his whole life. His entire character arc has been set up that way from his very first introductory shot. Even though he had his mother right beside him, he still yearned for someone who would be his companion for life. Someone whom he could love and would love him unconditionally. Someone whom he could protect and claim some rights to.
He was truly blessed to get Puchki for five years but as we all know he wasn't fated to have her for all that long. He was ripped from one home and tossed into another where he would be given a basic amount of respect and consideration only if he met their select criterion. In this way, Sonagachi's society was better as they didn't question Shantanu's legitimacy or required him to behave in a certain way in order to be considered as part of their unit. He was automatically a part of their family by birth. But the Majumdars - they had a whole list of expectations that Shantanu has to meet every single day. He is constantly reminded of the fact that he is not theirs. That he's an outsider and everything that they have bestowed upon him - money, a legitimate name, decent education, food, shelter, reputation - it's all something that he should be grateful for.
Regardless of all this, Shantanu doesn't mind. All he wants is love, acceptance and a family. For this he'll do anything. Take on any punishment, sacrifice whatever's needed - he'll do it all as long as it'll make his loved ones happy.
For a ten year old boy to have this mentality is not good for the long run. It'll inevitably damage him as an adult. It's the adults in his life who have made wrong choices, and held prejudices against each other. It's completely unfair for him to be punished so heavily for it especially when he is not at fault.
It's not his fault that his dad betrayed Nivedita and went to Sonagachi. It's not his fault that his dad refused to accept Chanda when she got pregnant. It's not his fault that when Nivedita couldn't get pregnant, his dad went to collect him. None of this is his fault. He didn't choose to be born in Sonagachi or to a mother who's a sex worker by profession. He also didn't choose to be an illegitimate child to a father belonging to a highly influential family.
Now the poor boy has gone off and started hallucinating Puchki and having conversations with her to cope with the emotional conflicts he has. He can't go to Sonagachi and talk to anyone there and he for sure can't talk about Sonagachi at the Majumdar house. It's no wonder he began to hallucinate.
I truly hope I'm proven wrong, but I really don't see him growing up as an emotionally healthy adult.
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