Hans and Henry’s educations : an analysis
Or, at least, how their paternal figures deal with their kid doing mischief. I chose the two following scenes as a base for comparaison. I didn’t include one with Radzig since he didn’t raise Henry, Martin did. And we’re off :
First, Hanush seems to act friendly and asks if he didn’t bother Hans in the middle of anything important. Hans replies quickly in like because he knows the wave of friendliness will fall flat. And it does. Then Hanush’s tone sharpens and he accuses Hans of being useless again : "like boozing and whoring for instance ?". Hans tries to find excuses, to explain himself, but gets cut off every time he opens his mouth. Hanush is sarcastic, his voice loud and roaring, his accusations stabbing. He keeps going, calling Hans a blockhead, saying people of Rattay don’t want him in charge because he neglects his duties and only thinks about having fun. And Hans is silent through it all. He looks everywhere but at Hanush, looking as upset as ashamed. Then Hanush’s finally calms down and Hans gets to say he’s sorry, only to be brushed off immediately when Hanush calls his wavering apologies "whining". Finally Hanush asks him a serious question on another matter (Bernard’s cousin mission) and the discussion actually starts, the lesson, the lecture is over.
First, let’s not forget that even though Henry is the hardworking godsend post Skalitz, he didn’t do much at all pre Skalitz. He didn’t help at the forge much and preferred sleeping in, hanging out with his friends and Bianca, and training with his wooden sword. Heck, when we see him for the first time, he’s sleeping until mid day (very Link coded). Also the fact that he has ONE stats in maintenance or strength or anything pre Skalitz after a lifetime living in a forge. Insane level of laziness. In a way… he was ignoring his responsibilities just as much as Hans, just differently.
First of all, Martin brings up the dispute, but gives Henry the chance to explain himself first. Which Henry is reluctant to do, of course. Martin tells Henry that dirtying the Dutch’s house for basically nothing, just to be petty, was irresponsible. Henry says the German insulted the king. Martin replies that’s no reason to become a thug. Henry asks "so it’s better to do nothing ?". Martin tells him that it’s better to use words than brutal force like an idiot in life. He asks Henry if he understands. Henry says yes. He asks him to look him in the eye. Henry does. Then Martin is satisfied and they move on.
They actually exchanged words there. This wasn’t a one sided lecture, it was a conversation leading to reflection, contemplation, brainwork. And most importantly - the eye contact. When Hanush doesn’t care that Hans looks away in shame without a chance to explain himself, Martin insists that Henry looks at him in the eyes to understand what his words mean and what they imply.
And when Martin’s lesson is over, the conversation keeps going. Henry asks his father about the situation, to understand his pov. His father replies calmly, thoughtfully. Then he concludes by "Try using your mouth, and not your fists" in life. And Henry is the one who chooses to stop talking after that. Because he realizes that his father is right. And he takes the time to think about the points he made.
Of course, I’m aware I’m leaving out a ton of details. I could also mention their difference of status, of mischief, who the parental figures are and represent toward their "sons", the different homes they have (Hans with everything handed to him so much it all becomes meaningless, no steady female role model to teach him things, no friends or true connection VS Henry with not much but satisfied with it, a good mother, girlfriend, girl friend, childhood friends). Not to mention, these are just two scenes. They say a lot, but not everything, of course.
That being said, these two scenes lead me to conclude that, well, Henry was shaped with love and understanding. He’s not afraid to show weaknesses, ask questions - even if it makes him sound daft - or look intimidating without immediately hitting his target or using torture. For instance, he doesn’t pretend with his mom when he’s hurt : he pretty much whines and says he’s hurting until she patches him up. And he shows care with others around himself openly as well. Just take how he treats Bianca (talking and kissing her temple gently at the party during Theresa’s dlc flashback) and Theresa (he doesn’t blame her for hurting his hand : playing with swords was his idea and he shouldn’t have smacked her arse with his sword anyway). Or even in the way he treats Mutt like his baby ! Which is unconventional enough for the time period. Henry’s learned from his parents that showing brains and care is very important in life, so he does. He expresses his questions, his concerns, people share theirs, and it’s always rewarding in the end.
And then you take Hans. That’s not the same expression of… anything. Hans doesn’t show that he’s scared or that he cares, at least not openly. During the escape from Maleshov, he hides that he’s terrified of going into a passageway. And the only time he openly show concern to someone is Henry when he is in great danger. But that doesn’t mean Hans doesn’t really care - of course he does. Just take his discussion with Brabant right as they ride out of Maleshov. Hans says it’s wrong that villages are burned down, pillaged, massacred during a war. These villagers are innocent. They’re not soldiers on a battlefield. He has a very human approach about it, even though he’s no stranger to the tactics of war. Hans cares, and he feels. But he can’t let any of it out properly because his education was to be shut down anytime he expressed anything, even apologies. That’s also why the "Nobody could be proud of you, Capon, nobody" hits so hard. I doubt anyone ever told Hans they were proud of him, even after he showed how good he is with a bow. "You’re a master at the bow" and "I’m proud of you for mastering the bow" are two powerful but very different statements.
And you know, with the way Hanush treats him - lecturing him without even bothering to listen to his excuses or to turn the one sided dispute into a conversation - it explains why Hans CONSTANTLY complains to Henry. I mean really - it feels like 90% of his dialogue is Hans letting out his frustrations of being ignored to Henry’s ear, since he’s the only one who’ll genuinely listen.
(Which, if you pursued his romance, makes the fact that he acts first and kisses Henry even more insane. It took literally all of his courage and inexperience in feelings and relationships to express himself freely and completely for once - no order to give or receive, no abrasive lecture to sit through, not anyone looking down on him - with him and Henry on the same level. And it was more than rewarding. I couldn’t help that last Hansry thought~)
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