Thought that has now plagued my mind and I don't know what to do with it so giving it to you for thoughts
Convicted Allies and Ghost Inmate are more alike than you think
After a bit of thought I don't know if I'd say they're "alike" (but I could easily be missing stuff) but each ending stemming from these ranks strongly parallels each other.
The ranks themselves are incredibly similar for the first half; we can see the similarities just by looking at the map for FtC. Both routes start with Ellie helping Henry to go through the vent, traveling through the vent, making it past Isaac Binderson and Heath Stone, and finding a way over the wall. What happens after Henry makes it over the wall depends on whether he took Ellie along or not. In Convict Allies, he frees all the inmates, and he and Ellie escape together, whereas in Ghost Inmate, he instead opts to take an elevator and escapes alone in secret.
The CtM endings stemming from these ranks are what really drive this home, though. Every CA route seems to be in direct opposite of the GI route with the same ItA rank.
GSPI: With Convict Allies, you get the iconic Triple Threat, allowing Henry to team up with both partners to take down the Toppat Clan for good in one of the most beloved endings in the game. With Ghost Inmate, you instead get Cleaned 'em Out, the only GSPI route in which you don't see Charles at all, and Henry just steals the Toppat Clan's belongings instead of doing anything to take them down, and it's all done with his own material gain in mind.
RBH: With Convict Allies, you get one of the shortest endings (3 option menus total), in which Henry and Ellie approach the Toppat Clan directly and then cooperatively take down the Right Hand Man with ease. With Ghost Inmate, you get one of the longest endings (7 option menus total), in which Henry is captured and escapes from the Toppat Clan, only surviving against the Right Hand Man by crashing into him with a drop pod.
RPE: With Convict Allies, Ellie becomes Henry's Right Hand Lady, Reginald comes to respect Henry as leader, and he and his Right Hand Man have a happy ending no longer in charge. With Ghost Inmate, Ellie becomes Henry's arch nemesis, Reginald states a coup against Henry, and he and his Right Hand Man are both killed on their return to the Airship after Henry threw Reginald off.
PBT: With Convict Allies, Henry and Ellie are given an opportunity to significantly help either the Toppat Clan or the Government, and the presence of Ellie let's Henry reconcile with the faction of his choice, in exchange for a small sacrifice (either the ruby or his criminal life). With Ghost Inmate, Henry is given no choice to help or reconcile with anyone, and instead leaves the Toppat Clan in shambles just so he can steal one last gemstone.
What captivates me is how helping Ellie gives Henry the opportunity to strengthen or forge bonds with others, whereas screwing Ellie over diminishes Henry's already existing relationships.
