Remember Steve’s parents looked like they were always away and never gave him attention
something something about the adults in billy's life doing nothing but constantly failing him, while steve has no real adult presence at all, he just gets ignored for most of it. he doesn't talk about it. doesn't show he's affected even though it's obvious he would be.
something something about one of billy's core character traits being contradiction and confrontation and he is actively trying to rebel against it, while steve is compliant and conformed. billy's disagreement is loud and we know nothing about what steve is actually going through, because he never makes it anyone else's problem.
something something about good and bad victims again. about the show teaching you that if you act like steve, if you don't react to neglect—life will treat you kinder. and if you act like billy—well. we all know how that story ends. that maybe if you try to push back through trauma instead of ignoring it—violently, sure, but still try to process it—you will get punished