>>150394579
Poor upbringing as a child, coddled by his mother into giving Clay a favorite complex that evolved into narcissism which eventually earned his father's hatred after a tragic event that left him mentally and emotionally stunted.
Later Adulthood has Clay later meeting Bloberta, who then introduced him into Alcohol which then blossomed into full blown dependency on Alcoholism.
Also has closeted homosexual or Bisexual urges but does not fully act on them due to his religious beliefs and want of being seen as "Family man."
Despite his success as a Mayor, Clay still sees it as a dead end job thus an inferiority/imposter complex.
TL;DR: Clay is gay little boy who misses his Mother or the feeling of motherly affection.