[In an unsurprising consistency of character Evelyn studies him in return, unaware of his internal debate but fully conscious of the fact that he is very much the sort of person to closely guard his own problems.

Well, if he wanted to be so secretive about it, he shouldn't have asked after Mirrors in the first place.]

Do you think I'm stupid?

[There is only one person in Wonderland whose safekeeping is monitored strictly by Joel, one person for whom Evelyn is certain he would give his life if necessary. One person who might be fooled by an impostor, inviting a trusted figure into her confidence.]

If you're going to publicly solicit help, the least you could do is be honest. What did he do to Ellie?