[ While Neal doesn't necessarily agree — if anything, it happened at him, not to him — but he doesn't shy away from taking that hug. He's such a sucker for contact, for that feeling of being a human being connecting with another human being, and as he holds her to him, his arms close around her tightly. ]

You're a better person than I am, Charlie.

[ Of that, he seems certain. Neal doesn't think she'll agree, and he probably is being unfair with himself, but truthfully, he doesn't think he was quite ready for a shock like that when he'd hardly absorbed the seven shocks he'd taken beforehand. ]

It's hard to know what your life was life then, but if this is better... [ He doesn't want to dismiss that. It's important to her, it ought to be acknowledged. ] I'm glad I didn't ruin that for you here. It's easy to forget people have it rougher than this when I'm throwing myself a pity party.