Good post. There is a time when all teenagers rebel. Why didn't Shawn rebel against the man he identified to everyone as his father?
Also, by age fifteen, conscience is formed. Did Shawn not know it was wrong to kidnap a child?
I know all about the brainwashing and the Stockholm syndrome. Pimps do the same thing to the young girls they lure into the trade. They brutalize and rape them into submission. Then they sell them on the streets. Most of these girls stay with the pimp. The few, the courageous, the rebellious ones leave, even at the risk of being brought back and killed.
I think he did show some signs of rebellion. Staying out late after curfew, etc.
By the time Shawn was 15, his conscience was "malformed" by his experiences; has a huge effect on his decision making processes.
Also, there is a bit of a difference between a girl who is
"lured" into prostitution and a child who is literally snatched by a stranger. Yes, the young girls who are lured into prostitution are abused and victimized. But, unless, they were literally snatched and sold into sex slavery, they were not initially captives. In most cases they are runaways who are preyed upon. In Shawn's case, as your article notes, he was tortured, isolated and broken down first. I don't know how on earth anyone can expect a child who went through that kind of torture and, then, lived with that monster for 4 years without benefit of positive influences like teachers or clergy could expect him to form a healthy conscience! Sheesh!