User blog comment:Jho5689/Chapter 392 + and More speculation on Silver/@comment-7418318-20140711143059

The base-line of the GMG wasn't so bad either. There we had Arcadios seeming like the evil master-mind, then the good-natured servant of Hisui. And with Hisui it's still everyone's best guess if she really did what she did for the country or a combination of self-preservation and amassing prestige in the political games of the royalty.

Anyway to the actual topic:

I have trouble comeing up with some kind of motive for Silver to put Gray through all this of his own will, so I'm going with him being either controlled or manipulated in some way or the other.

I know some people will argue that Silver wanted to make Gray stronger or somesuch, but I don't see that happening. Gray gained nothing in this fight, but might well have semi-killed himself with Iced Shell (we know he wouldn't do that, but Silver couldn't have known that) and if Silver really dies I don't think it won't exactly do anything to increase Gray's sunny disposition or self-confidence. And with those wounds that Silver gave Gray are certainly bad enough that they might get him killed in any following fight against other Demons.

There are certain acts by Silver that make a ful control unlikely, so I'm guessing something more along the lines of mental conditioning that makes him unable to refuse the orders of his controller, but otherwise his mind is still intact, allowing him to act on his own will as long as he doesn't go against given orders or certain pre-programmed conditions (like him being unable to hurt his master for example).

That would explain why he showed mercy to Natsu and Lisanna, but was so cruel against Gray.

I suppose it is also possible to go back to the old theories where Gray somehow inadvertedy attracted the attention of Deliora, which led to the Demon's rampage and Silver was so pissed at Gray that he wants to torment him to death for getting his wife killed, but I think this is extremely unlikely. Sure he might be pissed, but wanting to torture his own son do death over it?