I interpreted this moment quite differently. Earlier in the chapter when you first meet the kid dressed as a moogle Aerith mentions something along the lines of how moogle are able to spread cheer and make people feel better (at least this is the gist of it). Anyway I interpreted Cloud using this approach to not only keep his merc reputation but to also direct the man to something that could help him feel better. The fact that Aerith didn't tell Cloud off for this only made me feel that this was the intended interpretation.
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Re: Soapbox: Final Fantasy VII Remake's Cloud Goes From Hero to Zero in a Single Side Quest
I interpreted this moment quite differently. Earlier in the chapter when you first meet the kid dressed as a moogle Aerith mentions something along the lines of how moogle are able to spread cheer and make people feel better (at least this is the gist of it). Anyway I interpreted Cloud using this approach to not only keep his merc reputation but to also direct the man to something that could help him feel better.
The fact that Aerith didn't tell Cloud off for this only made me feel that this was the intended interpretation.