"Did they ask you to bring me to them? How? By tugging my guilty conscience that you spent time in the juvie while was I free? Did they think being out here is better than being inside the prison?"
Maxen's expression turned solemn and sharp. He always had this thought since his last conversation with Remo and Maxen could only think of this. They wanted to use Remo since the guy went to prison instead of Maxen. Even though Maxen didn't stab that guy himself, that person died because of him and his connections to those felons.
Realistically speaking, this might've worked if Cosette didn't come into the picture. After all, Maxen's guilt for that delinquent's death was slowly consuming him before he met Cosette. He even thought he would lose his mind, thinking he was not only a son of a felon but also a murderer himself.