Debates about “free” will increasingly sound like semantic quibbling to me. Of course if you bring your own upbringing and genetic background into the equation, you can’t be free from yourself, because what would that even mean? But at the same time, that doesn’t mean you’re not making decisions. They were just the only ones you were ever going to make.

If you just shrugged at the legion of horribles passage, there’s probably not much point continuing. Consider returning to it in a few years or after reading other McCarthy books.

I’ve gotten halfway through the book in the course of three months but I couldn’t honestly tell you where the characters are, their strengths and weaknesses, or any overall theme I’m getting.

You’re probably losing the thread because you’re taking like three weeks at this rate to get through a chapter. You don’t have to understand every word. Just plow through and work it out as you go. The judge pretty much spells out the main themes of the book in the second half, at least his perspective on them.