The main actor - Ray - was astonishing. Child actors so often can be seen, well, acting but he was utterly believable.
Yes that was strange. I presume it is to show that nothing is black and white and that no one is 100% evil. The father also seemed a good(ish) father to his own children. I didn't see it from the very beginning but I don't think the step father had a particular problem with Ray did he? The problems were with Nathan - though of course Ray was completely a victim in that toxic household too. I thought that was what they did so well in the programme - showing it wasn't incredibly clear cut. The horror of their living conditions but the attack was just awful - when he was asleep and incredibly vicious and prolonged. Plus his mother and brother then just left him to carry the can as it were.
Awfully sad to think there are probably things going on like that right now.