Manhunter: Is Francis Dolarhyde ACTUALLY empathetic?

Okay, so I just finished watching Manhunter again, and I'm spiraling as per usual. I know it's not technically a Hannibal Lecter movie, but Brian Cox absolutely KILLS it (pun intended, sorry). I've been thinking about Francis Dolarhyde, aka the Tooth Fairy, or, as he prefers, the Great Red Dragon. We all know he's a serial killer, obviously, but something about him always felt... different? Like, there's this weird empathy bubbling under the surface. Specifically, there's that scene where he kidnaps Molly, Will Graham's wife, and his son. He's clearly conflicted. He HAS them, but he's agonizing. His 'inner' Red Dragon is battling with what seems to be some deeply buried humanity. The dialogue he has with the Dragon is so unhinged that it distracts from the fact that he's trying to rationalise why he shouldn't hurt them, like he feels he needs permission from a higher power, so that he isn't guilty. I think he even says something to Molly along the lines of not wanting to hurt them (might be misremembering exactly) but the performance sells it. Does that ring true for anyone else? My theory is that Dolarhyde is incredibly empathetic, but that empathy is warped and twisted by his abuse and his obsession with the Red Dragon painting. He can feel the pain of others, but he interprets it as a sign of weakness that needs to be purged. He identifies with the Dragon because it represents power and control, something he lacked his entire life, not because of inner wickedness but because he doesn't know how to properly channel his overwhelming emotions. I think if he had like, a halfway decent therapist, things could have gone VERY differently, which is kinda sad, y'know? It kinda feels like Michael Mann was trying to create a killer who was less of a monster and more of a broken, deeply damaged human being. He got close, and is maybe why Manhunter hits harder than I expect it to. Just my two cents, late-night brain ramblings. Anyone else find Dolarhyde lowkey relatable... or am I just showing my cards as a weirdo? Lol.