i think this has to be eating away at brian, it's a foreign concept to him:

"His nonchalance about it is worse. As if being tied up and mistreated is just part of his to do list. Do laundry, get beaten, buy milk."

ahh...a little light on the horizon:

“My mom died of cancer.”

Mommy issues. That explains a lot. “How old were you?”
“Around ten. But she’d been sick since I was young, like seven.”

it's interesting that brian chose not to tell anyone about the cancer in 6 months. and his admission, if only to himself, is very revealing:

But I think I missed this too. Not from tricks… but touching people, in general. I was so afraid that they’d figure it out I cut myself off from everyone. I didn’t want to get near Michael, Debbie, Lindsay or Gus. I spent a lot of time alone. His being here is nice."

jeannie