From what I gathered, the reason Ranzo is like that at all is because Ikuro's mother strangled him right after Ikuro was born. There was a flashback right after the butler was explaining to Sachiko that Ranzo had become like that because of an "accident" when he was young. In the flashback, Ikuro's mother was strangling a small child and telling him not to lay his filthy hands on her son. I believe the timing of the flashback was to explain exactly what the so-called "accident" was. That makes Ranzo even more of an innocent: first being strangled by his father's wife as a child just for trying to touch his own half-brother; and second for Ikuro blaming Ranzo for their father's misdeeds and basically everything bad that had happened in Ikuro's life.
Yeah, you're totally right. I guess everything was covered as an accident and Ikuro doesn't even know the truth. But either he's an idiot or he's just a genuinely bad person to hate his brother for, basically, being alive. I just can't get it in my mind. Historically speaking people didn't treat well "sick" people in the past, but this is just too much. I can't see how anyone can like Ikuro and hate on Ranzo (yes, I've seen it) at all. Ikuro's hurt his brother, blamed him for everything and tried to kill him (indirectly). I get that it's not his fault to be that twisted but what he's done is awful.
Protect Ranzo at all costs ♡
I would say it was covered up. By the time their father died, a lot of people didn't even know about Ranzo. It seems like Ranzo had been kept in that cell ever since the "accident" with only his father coming to visit him and possibly some of the help to bring him food or to clean up. I have a difficult time envisioning the master of the house doing those things. On the other hand, I also have sympathy for Ikurou. He was basically brainwashed by his mother into hating his older brother. That, along with physical punishment of an extreme kind (in other words abuse), has conditioned Ikurou to hate and fear Ranzo. The way he's treating Ranzo isn't right by any means, but I just don't see how he could have grown up any other way with that set of circumstances. Besides, it's easy to forget, but Ikurou is barely more than a child himself. With him having to leave school because of his father's death, he's at most only in his early 20s. Honestly, the entire situation is the mother's and father's faults. Even the butler was screwed up by the mother. He may have had a screw loose to begin with, but it was the mother's sexual abuse of a high schooler that really seemed to push the butler over the edge, too. At the time, the butler was only in high school, possibly even middle school (he's actually not that much older than Ikuro according to the story).
Ikurou himself is not all that well. I honestly can't blame either one of them. They grew up with sick, disgusting people in a sick household. I don't think a lot of people can come out whole in that kind of environment. I don't think he hates Ranzo, it's mostly fear and confusion.
I must say that even though it's twisted, the writing is just amazing. I feel bad for the wife because she's married with someone deeply broken, because both of his parents and that damn butler, but Ranzo's situation is even worse. I don't get how anybody can blame him. He's probably the only innocent person here.he was in a cage without contact with anyone besides his abusive father (yeah, adult+child=abuse). The results are obvious, and on top of that he's hated by his brother whom he truly loves (the only thing he said clearly was his name, and the gesture of a baby grabbing his finger, probably his only happy memory). Blaming an ill person for his illness is fucking unfair and simply disgusting, so damn if I like Ikuro. I know it's not entirely his fault to be like that,but dude... think a little.
Honestly, all I want is for Ikuro to realize that Ranzo is innocent of everything he's blamed him for and for them to be a little happy. I don't even care who they end up with. Just want them alive and smiling :'(