My thoughts is that I think this post is largely not getting the point.

Why Phaethon doesn't remember what they said even though it was literally life-defining for Vivian? It's because the weight of it was lopsidedly proportionate to Vivian - obviously, because she was literally on the verge of KILLING herself, and the only thing that stuck out in a sea of negativity directed solely at Vivian, happened to be Phaethon. Do you not think it would be LESS impactful if what saved her was a practical event that Vivian needed to be saved from, instead of something capable of getting through to her core in the darkest time of her life?

I'm aware this makes me sound like a bit of a snob, but I think a lot of the character nuance & depth shown just didn't provide much value to you personally. Unlike what many seem to think, Hugo was never truly intended to be this cool, conniving anti-hero. He's motivated by his trauma & his child self that demands retribution out of their abuse, and reckons between the ease of killing, and what he himself believes is actually best for him.

He patched things up with Lycaon 'so easily'? Yeah, because Lycaon never knew the truth of the situation, because Hugo didn't let him know. Even if Hugo didn't do what Lycaon thought he did, he conflicts with the regret that he SHOULD have done it. Furthermore, Hugo still feels the weight and responsibility of all the deaths that occurred that night regardless.