The Holy Fool

I would like to talk about John Isidore, the "special" from Philip Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Lincoln challenged us to think about Isidore as a "holy fool," but after some research I find myself questioning the details of how Isidore fits that description. Here's a little of the information that I've come across in my research:

• There's an obvious religious connotation to the term. Commonly referred to as "foolishness for Christ," these individuals sell all their possessions, act crazed to draw attention to religion, and spend their time and energy to serve their God.
• However, holy fool has expanded to have a more general meaning. The British & World English Dictionary define a holy fool as one "who appears unintelligent and unsophisticated but who has other redeeming qualities."
• There was a man known to people of the Orthodox faith as Blessed Isidore the Fool for Christ who died in the late 1400s. This man abandoned the privileged lifestyle that he was raised in to live in rags, preach about God, and stay up late into the night praying for those he met during the day.

Do you think Philip Dick thought about holy fools, or more specifically the Saint, when he wrote about the character John Isidore?

I can see at least three aspects of Isidore that might be interpreted as having the qualities of a "holy fool", each with less aspects of religion. There is his following of Mercerism. Also, he quickly develops an obsession with Pris, brings home wine and other delicacies to share with her, and is willing to quit his job to stay and protect her. And finally, Isidore is a low-IQ individual with many loyal and empathetic qualities.

Do you see John Isidore as a holy fool? What parts of the novel stand out to you in relation to this term and which description do you think fits him the best?