Deuce will sometimes mention how he “caused people a whole lot of grief” in the past. After his mother calls him about the festival he says he’s decided he’s been away long enough by now, and we learn what he means in a vignette: he tries to ask a neighbor for a favor and they become hostile the moment they recognize him, saying that they do not care how much his mother has apologized for his past behavior and trying to send him away.
Deuce apologizes for his past and, with Ortho’s assurance that Deuce is not smart enough to act polite just to get someone to drop their guard, the neighbor allows them to borrow his workshop to make Ortho’s rabbit gear, specifying that it is Ortho they do not want to disappoint.
They threaten Deuce, reminding him that they do not trust him, and comment on how even letting Deuce inside the workshop will damage their reputation.
After the confrontation Ortho asks Deuce if he is already and Deuce responds, “Just kinda…hating myself,” explaining how he feels like he’s changed but that doesn’t erase what he’s done.
Deuce is so different now that he is not recognized by people in town who warn him about his own past self, saying, “I’m sure he’s just as awful as ever, wherever he is.” Deuce reflects, “t I guess people still talk about me. And still think I’m ‘just as awful as ever’……” and wonders if he maybe hasn’t changed that much after all.
Twisted Wonderland Reference Note 