[ It's not a done thing; no doubt when he actually puts it back on there will be a long struggle, but for now he's set the question aside. He has more to think about than just himself, after all. It's just that in a world where Gotham doesn't exist, and after his recent losses, Bruce has to reevaluate a great deal of his motives.

Most of it pivots on the people who depend on him to set an example. An example that, before coming here, he'd been loathe to set. He'd had to deal with too many copycats already, seen them targeted for daring to try it on with Gotham's criminal underworld. But he'd also seen a young girl hit a deliberately broken tree branch and never hit the ground. These kids were different.

And if Alfred said they needed him, then they probably did. ]

We maintain our public relationship, of course. [ Bruce Wayne might not have anything to offer Dick, but Batman knew Robin, and it was excellent cover. But a greater concern pressed: ] I need to divorce myself from who I really am. One incarnation has to be the one you know, Alfred--and it needs to be flawless.

[ He can't say it in more complicated words than that; they're plain and frank, but hopefully even if someone were listening then without more insight than anyone should have they simply wouldn't understand. ]