Her questioning it does cause him to hesitate for a moment, because he knows that she has scorned him on multiple occasions, and it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect she'd find some way to scorn him again were they to try to escape across a border together. Letting himself get that tangled up in her mess would be an incredibly foolish proposition... and yet.
Eponine continues to dig her own grave, and he feels as if he's watching from the ground above as the hole deepens and the dirt piles up.
"'Tis because you're in shambles, girl," he says, glancing downward. "You're a pain in my arse, and you know as much. And yet, when have you ever been given the chance to truly stand, free of need and suffering? I would rather judge you for what you do when you are not drowning in misery."
A drowning person cannot fully control themselves. They will grasp for anything and anyone that will allow them their next breath. He sees that reality in Eponine, and would rather see a time that she could stand on dry land.
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Eponine continues to dig her own grave, and he feels as if he's watching from the ground above as the hole deepens and the dirt piles up.
"'Tis because you're in shambles, girl," he says, glancing downward. "You're a pain in my arse, and you know as much. And yet, when have you ever been given the chance to truly stand, free of need and suffering? I would rather judge you for what you do when you are not drowning in misery."
A drowning person cannot fully control themselves. They will grasp for anything and anyone that will allow them their next breath. He sees that reality in Eponine, and would rather see a time that she could stand on dry land.