Is that where we are? Hell, or limbo, or whatever in between?

[Maybe it was a certain kind of death, their electing to remain here, in Wonderland, to never return to the Underground. They cannot simply slide their smiling face into a photograph and accept it as truth, accept themselves as belonging to a family that would be safer without their presence staining the glass.

What constitutes good suffering and bad? Why does Asriel suffer beautifully, and why is that okay? He's - it's not, though, is it? It can't be.

Kill or be killed.

Don't kill, and don't be killed.

Is that really all there is? If you kill you're bad, and if you don't kill, you're good. If you suffer for everyone else's problems, this is acceptable. This is allowed. If you lash out, strike back, even by accident, you should be smited down like the evil and dirty and wrong thing that you are.]

We're not going back there. We already said we weren't.

[The words are even and simple, a statement of fact, a fundamental aspect of their world and their universe.]

So it doesn't have to be like that anymore. Maybe we're still learning, but...but I don't want it. I don't want you to feel like you have to suffer to be okay.