The more Joe becomes involved with Candy, the more Joe becomes obsessed with how Candy makes him feel. In the novel, Joe claims "she fired me up and turned my body inside out ... and usually that would have messed me up so much I wouldn't have been able to feel anything, but this time I could feel it." Therefore, Candy's drug addiction mirrors the obsessive love Joe has for her.
As Joe becomes more involved with Candy, his fascination with how she affects him grows. In the novel, Joe states, "she invigorated him and turned his body inside out... normally that would have overwhelmed him so much he wouldn't have been able to feel anything, but this time he could feel it." This indicates a parallel between Joe's intense emotional response to Candy and her drug addiction.