Responses
You're right about the peer pressure and thanks for sharing your experience with us about it as well. I honestly think that I shouldn't care about what people say since it's my life and none of their business but sometimes, life doesn't work that way.
I think Mason might forgive Dillon over time if he ever apologizes but I hope he won't forgive him too quickly because he bullied him for being able to like what he liked, looking like he didn't mind all the comments. Hurt him again and again and traumatized him, which is not and will never be ok, no matter what.
It seems that it was a case of peer pressure, but that doesn't excuse what he did. He should have gone for justice, and that was sticking to Mason.
Mason, as the kind-hearted guy he looks and acts like, would most likely forgive him. Would the reason be for letting go of the past and set it behind him, or just because he is nice will all be up to the author. If Mason chooses to forgive Dillion, the bigger majority of the audience (including me, yes, this is not a post about defending Dillion) won't pity him or forgive him in the slightest.
But something that Dillion did do right when revealing his backstory with Mason, he put to light about peer pressure (still not a Dillion appreciation or defense post). The author and artist did a great job on how peer pressure feels like, both emotionally and artistically. Peer pressure is something people do talk about, but it isn't talked to the extent it needs to. From the other posts that I have seen from others talking about this chapter, they are only hating on Dillion (which is acceptable, I don't like him either) and how "he didn't go to the good path". Many are ignoring the peer pressure, and how it might feel for a young child (4-5th grade to middle school). This manga is so good not because of how the characters are structured, their arcs, the plot, and etc, but because of how they show issues that need to be addressed more.
Irrelevant to Dillion and Mason, I want to make a bigger point with an experience of mine. When I was around 13 years old, I was harassed by my peers for liking things that younger girls liked (really liked playing with dolls, and this wasn't the only things I liked, I really did like Japanese and Korean media, and I still do). This harassment kept on going for two more years, I was constantly pressured to stop liking those things and grow up more than I should've. I one day had enough of all the harassment and fell into the pressure. I didn't like myself but I had to be like this so I wouldn't be harassed anymore. Teachers are stupid when it comes to these manners, they won't do anything. It was until I finally moved away that I began doing things I really liked and I no longer hid behind a person I really wasn't. This pressure, not only affected me, but it affected my then friends. I stopped hanging out with them, and I hurt them emotionally (not like Dillion did). It wasn't a good part of my life, and I regret falling into the pressure, but I was young and wanted to be left alone.
Like how I just said, peer pressure affects not only one person, but many. We saw that Dillion did like many things that Mason liked, but was driven away from them due to the pressure. We saw that he didn't want to be talked bad or bullied like Mason, and because he was a child, he chose the wrong path and was never taken out of it. We need to stop just being angry and not analyzing things like this which are more prevalent in younger teens.
We need to take Dillion as an example of peer pressure and try to get rid of it just like we do with bullying. Again, this manga does a great representation of peer pressure, why its bad, and why we need to talk about it.
Sorry for the long post, I just really felt I needed to say something about that.