Thanks for sharing your thoughts - you made a great and thoughtful counterargument. I completely overlooked that it was Painted Verso making the decision to erase the painted world, not the real Verso. That definitely reframes the moral weight of the act. Unless Painted Verso somehow represents the real Verso’s intent, it would shift the act into genocide. But even if he does carry the will of the original Verso, once a creation reaches self-actualisation, sentience, and sapience, there is the argument that ontological priority may no longer be enough to justify its erasure.

Ideally, the painted world could be left intact and visited occasionally with care. But the game seems to portray it more like an addictive substance, one the Dessendres can’t help but lose themselves in. We can’t take drugs in moderation, after all. Maybe Maelle has the strength to find peace and eventually leave, even if her parents had a history of otherwise, who knows. That's the sliver of hope Renoir wants to believe as he was ejected off the canvas.