Nash comes across as pretty self-centered-his work, his trips, his marathons, his perceptions, his needing to heal-even when he talks to Penn, he uses "I" a lot and explains how he is feeling or why he did something. None of these things are bad in and of themselves, but even Lee pointed out that Nash didn't have time for him. The Knotts had been inviting Nash to events for years, but he turned them down because it wasn't on the terms he wanted and he judged their motivations without knowing them. I think the only way Nash makes any personal growth is to move beyond this...yes he understands Penn is hurting, but he doesn't seem to be thinking about why and how that might impact Penn. He still frames it through his own lens of hurting. I think that if Nash can move beyond this and re-frame how he sees his world and those around him, Penn might be willing to risk his heart again, but if he doesn't, Penn won't. Both Nash and Penn have long-developed issues and what they most need is to lay their cards on the table-state how they feel and what each of them wants to be for the other.