What can be the possible motives in a dead man story?

One possible motive could be revenge. Maybe he was wronged in the past and is now taking it out on others.

Perhaps he has a mental disorder that makes him unable to control his violent urges. He might not even fully understand his own motives, just acting on some dark impulse within him. Another possibility is that he is being controlled by some external force, like in a horror story where a curse or an evil entity is making him commit the slaughters.

Power. In a fictional world where power dynamics are at play, a woman might see castrating a man as a way to gain complete control over him. By taking away his masculinity, she could be aiming to subjugate him and assert her dominance in a very brutal way.

One possible motive could be financial gain. Older men are often more financially stable, and the girl might see an opportunity to have a more comfortable life. Another motive could be a search for father - like figures. If she lacks a proper father figure in her life, she may be attracted to the older man's maturity and stability.

One possible motive could be insanity. Maybe he just has a deranged mind and the act of killing gives him some sort of twisted pleasure. The muffins could be a part of his delusion, like he believes his victims are ingredients for some special muffin in his warped mind.

His motives could be power. He might want to rule the land of stories.

One possible motive could be pure dominance. Vampires are often depicted as powerful and controlling creatures. Raping a man could be a way for the vampire to assert its power over a human.

Perhaps revenge is his motive. Maybe someone wronged him or his loved ones in the past, and he became a hit man as a way to get back at those who he holds responsible. He could be targeting specific individuals or groups related to the initial wrong - doing.

He might be suffering from a terminal illness and wants to end his life on his own terms rather than endure a long and painful decline. So he hires an assassin to make it happen quickly.

Love and loss could also be a theme. The dead man may have left behind a loved one, and the story could focus on how that person copes with the loss. It could show the different stages of grief, from denial to acceptance, and how the memories of the dead man continue to influence the lives of those who knew him.