The way it is.

How it is in the 'exotic dancing' industry is this; there are three standard lines the girls eventually get used to by heart. The men are called 'punters' in this case, a word which I am ashamed ( or maybe not) to admit I've never heard before until recently. Well, in this case the guy looks at the girl and says,
"You know what? I've got to be honest. Out of all the girls here, you're the most beautiful."
Not necessarily in that same word structure, but you'd be surprised how unimaginative those men can be. They say this to every single girl they talk to during the night.
The second thing they say is
"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?".
After a bit you learn that there is no sober way of answering this. Mostly you say 'I was waiting for you' and smile sweetly. Or knowingly. Or both. What is says is 'Subject Dropped'. What is says is ' I gave you a fake name and a fake story. And I'm sticking to it'.
It's not method acting when you're living this every night.
Then the punchline is, and this is tops really, they say
"I hate to see you here, like this. If I can do anything to help you, I will. I will give you anything you ask me for".
The sad thing about this is having this happen in this exact same sequence every time, it ceases to be entertaining and starts irritating the shit out of you.
The sad thing about this is that they, the punters, they actually mean it. To an extent, that is.
They want to save you, be your knight in shining last season's Prada glasses, not even bothering to hide their wedding bands.
Of course, the underlying subtext is ' I give you what you want if you give me what I want'.
They are not so much the saviours as the mother who never wants her kid to grow up.
What they do is they convince themselves that they're saving you when what they're really doing is saving themselves. Making themselves feel better by thinking they're needed. Distracting themselves from a boring life. Buying a simulation of love.
Everybody is so absorbed in themselves.
Mostly, I don't feel sad about this. How I feel is very Matter-Of-fact-ly.
About how this applies to just about any situation in life.
About how you're always somebody else's means to some end.