And to me, Conrad is one of the reasons why Don’s been such a jerk lately. His habit of opening up to strangers has come back to bite him in the ass – sure, he didn’t pour out his soul to Hilton, but he parceled out more information than he would to a co-worker or family member. And considering that Bert Cooper essentially blackmailed him into signing that contract, Don’s probably gone from feeling like he can’t trust anybody to knowing that he can’t trust lately. The small extent that he’s opened up to Peggy and Sal, the way he’s tacitly agreed to keep their secrets, burns him. They’re going to disappoint him just like everybody else, and he can’t be anything but cold to them. (Note that at least he put Peggy on the Hilton account, after chewing her out over it.) Don’s in defensive mode, squashing whatever remains of Dick Whitman.
