 Cody's perceived sociopathy has not been shown in the television series.This also gives him a reason to continue his relationship with Rita, to whom (as of "Dearly Devoted Dexter") he is engaged because of a misunderstanding.At the beginning of the third book, "Dexter in the Dark", it is revealed that Cody is not the only one with dark impulses, as Astor too pressures Dexter to teach her, Dexter comes to accept his role as a stepfather to both children very seriously in "Dexter in the Dark"; for example, while on a stakeout, he begins to wonder if Cody has brushed his teeth before going to bed and if Astor had set out her Easter dress for photo-day at her school, these thoughts distract him while he is waiting for an intended victim, which thoroughly annoys him.