The Smeared Bishops Theory

[smoky token]

What is Vialism, Really? A Theory About the Bishops

TL;DR: Vialism is the Bishop's Coping Mechanism to Help Dim the Pain of their Regrets.

I've been thinking a lot about the ending and the symbolism, specifically, of all of the bishops being former Banditos when, suddenly, something clicked that makes sense of a lot of the story's loose ends.

This theory seeks to answer the following questions. Why do the bishops practice Vialism and present it as all there ever was if, as many of the Clancy Tour letters indicate, it's not all there ever was? Why are the Banditos banished while citizens are smeared and brought back?

So, you're a bishop who's just turned their back on Torchbearer (TB), your guide through Trench and the only reason you've made it this far. You begin with the goal of changing the system, but it doesn't stay that way. Slowly and overtime, you recognize, even unconsciously, that TB was right, but you can't admit it to yourself because you've already cut that line and past the point of no return.

Every memory of your former life begins to feel like a dagger in the side. The life and light the bishops once knew as banditos brings them no comfort and instead constantly torments them. In Dema, up in their towers, they can be away from those reminders, but the sight of someone returning from Trench and the light that dances in their eyes because of it is too painful. So, you seal the walls. You try everything you can to stop people from leaving. Eventually, you have to convince them Dema is all there is or is at least the only safe place.

There is some truth to that for the Bishops. Trench, for them, is a nightmare, a constant face to face encounter with the life they threw away. Every blade of grass is a knife, every cliff an infinite abyss. After all, TB could be behind each tree and lurking in each cave. Nothing would hurt them more, but they can't admit to themselves they're scared of TB. They project that onto their old home. And if Trench is this terrifying to the Bishops, what would it be for the average citizen?

Paternalistically, they retrieve their people from Trench, enduring Hell themselves just to "save" one of their own from those perilous ravines and, potentially, encountering their biggest regret. The people are smeared both to discourage their ventures and to snuff out that painfully familiar light in their eyes the bishops can't stand.