Well, I'm a definite Deangirl and concerning that particular episode...I chose to see it more as what Dean subconsciously thought his life would be like if his mother had lived. Especially after finding out it was all in his self-depreciating mind (although I do believe the only reason John wasn't there was due to JDM's time constraints). By looking at it that way, it meshes with Dean's character, because he does have layers, and in my opinion he is a four year old trapped in an adult's body. I mean, I guess it could be my personal fanon, but I think that he was forced to grow up so quickly, that instead of maturing naturally, the child was never separated from the adult and I'm digressing. I'm just saying that this is how I perceived the episode. Now I'm not defending Kripke, but I've sort of noticed that he's not exactly eloquent when it comes to presenting his ideas to his audience. However, if he truly wanted to portray Dean as being a loser without a cause, then I'm with you all the way.