the ghost of Christmas past

[Cromwell]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_of_Christmas_Past

Scrooge did not ask Belle to end their engagement, but he did not fight to keep her. Finally, the spirit shows him how she married and found true happiness with another man. After this vision, Scrooge pleads with the spirit to show him no more, to which the spirit replies:

    "These are the shadows of things that have been. That they are what they are, do not blame me!"

Angered, Scrooge extinguishes the spirit with its cap and finds himself back in his bedroom, where he very quickly fell asleep.


Got to hand it to Ebeneezer, he knows how to stop a rumination and who knows how long BPD Belle might have been triangulating.

[Harri]

Hi Cromwell.   

Was it him shutting of rumination or was he in denial and burying his own pain and the knowledge that he loved something (money) more than he loved Belle.   I think it was him not wanting to see reality... .and the consequences of his own choices, not rumination.

"These are the shadows of things that have been. That they are what they are, do not blame me!"

[Beneck]

Pretty much agree with Harri here. Also:

Finally, the spirit shows him how she married and found true happiness with another man.

But looking at it another way: I guess this is pretty much like coming across your ex with another person, in a picture on Facebook or in the street. It might look like they're truly happy, but how much of it is true? And even if it is, does that mean it was your fault that you 2 weren't "happy" when you were together?

So there are 2 scenarios: either the spirit is truthful OR it's just a crafty, painful rumination ;)