Neil always plays off the good he's done here. Ever since the kid realized what a shit hole this was, he's denied all possibilities of good. This isn't a surprise, the silence. The subject change is more strange.

Despite the sobering topics, Alex still reaches to pull Neil into him, against his chest. "Not saying I didn't help, kid. Of course I did. Like hell I'd let anything happen to you like that." He didn't mean to say that last part. Alex moves on in a rush. "All I said was someone with more knowledge would have did it better. Less painfully, probably. Julie. Arcade. A handful of others."