Poor Ian. It always hurts (whether or not only by embarrassment) to realize how you screwed up. Before you go smashing on him, remember that he's probably going to feel awful once BOB's done explaining that there don't have to be visible injuries for abuse to have occurred.



Sometimes, someone has to point out the obvious, and then self-castigation follows. And since he died as a teenager--the time of life where embarrassment/shame is at its most powerful, as a sort of evolutionary bludgeon to get children to act in ways socially appropriate for adults--yeah, I'd be surprised if he managed to avoid curling into a ball and calling himself an idiot for, like, an hour. And then have it come back at random moments and make his brain go SHAME at him. And this would keep on happening for years down the road. (We wouldn't see most of this, because it would get repetitive.)



Whether BOB realizes that this is in store for Ian is less clear, but it hasn't been long enough since my teenage years for me to miss it. Of course, maybe I'm wrong. Ian seems to be unusually stable, emotionally speaking, and I don't think he suffers from depression like I do. So maybe he'll get away with shame, mourning his stupidity, and getting to move on with his life. It doesn't seem likely, though.