 Applewhite soon began to live with Nettles . Although they <unk> , their relationship was not a sexual one , fulfilling his longtime wish to have a deep and loving , yet <unk> , relationship . She was married with two children , but after she became close with Applewhite , her husband divorced her , and she lost custody of her children . Applewhite permanently broke off contact with his family as well . He saw Nettles as his <unk> , and some of his acquaintances later recalled that she had a strong influence on him . <unk> writes that Nettles " was responsible for reinforcing his emerging delusional beliefs " , but <unk> Robert Jay Lifton speculates that Nettles ' influence helped him avoid further psychological deterioration . 
