Does Jimmy framing the Eds just because he was wedgied prove his threshold towards being humiliated or has he had enough of being abused all the time?
The Kankers are very prone to this, due to their canon flatness. Are they just bullies tormenting everyone for kicks, or is it a facade, built because of (implied) abuse and poverty they had faced earlier in their lives? Do they care about the Eds, and if yes, to what extent? Or do they just want "men" to control and do their chores? This is especially contested given how in their introductory episode they genuinely treated the Eds well (washing their clothes, making them food, putting on a movie, freshening themselves up) and only started acting cruelly towards them when they rudely rebuffed their advances.
Is Plank evil (and alive) or just a piece of wood that only lives in Johnny's head?
Is Eddy's brother a simple case of Jerkass bully older brother or an abuser or worse?
Is Sarah as tough as we're made to believe? Despite the multiple times Sarah has beaten him and his friends up, Eddy never seems to be afraid of her. "High Heeled Ed" implied that the reason why Eddy never retaliates against her is that she's Ed's sister, and when Eddy does fight back against her in "Ed, Ed, and Away" and "One of Those Eds", he actually puts up a decent fight against her. Also supporting this are during the rare occasions when Ed actually stands up to her ("Pop Goes the Ed" and "Little Ed Blue"), she backs down, either because Jimmy tells her to (as in "Pop Goes the Ed"), or out of genuine fear (as in "Little Ed Blue").
Eddy's parents. Are they Abusive Parents or just very strict? Judging by Eddy's Brother asking Eddy if they knew he was visiting him in a rather concerned tone, it hints either one. Is Eddy's Brother's abusive behavior the result of being abused himself? Or did they kick him out because they knew he was abusing Eddy? For that matter, if they are just strict, is it because they deemed Eddy's Brother a lost cause, so they act much more strict towards Eddy with the hopes he'll turn out better?
Some episodes such as "See No Ed" imply the other kids' wavering treatment towards the Eds is from becoming unhinged and embittered from their perpetual stalking and scams. Jimmy admits remorsefully he constantly begged to be rid of them, while Kevin shows signs of outright insane paranoia from Eddy harassing him all the time. If you think about it, the Eds are their bullies that they are just dishing it back against.
Are the kids constantly changing fads in "It's Way Ed" because they're really getting bored with them that quickly, or are they deliberately screwing with the Eds by ensuring that they can't keep up?
Is Ed's father really an apathetic Jerkass or is he helping Ed by not bothering to punish him?
Is Nazz actually a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing? We all know she is supposed to be a nice girl, but there are times she can be pretty nasty to the Eds. However, it could be possible she only does it when the other kids (particularly Kevin) do it. Such examples of this can be seen in "Smile For the Ed" and ESPECIALLY "To Sir with Ed". The most jarring example is in the infamous episode "If It Smells like An Ed". She was among the ones who were laughing at Jimmy getting a wedgie but in in "Boys Will Be Eds", Nazz calls out the boys for laughing at Jimmy's misfortune.
Are the parents of the kids and Eds abusive... horribly neglectful... or both? Just ask Ed!
Kevin's parents are an interesting case. Despite being The Bully, he seems to have a good relationship with his father, but he doesn't spoil him either. When Kevin got his report card, he said that his dad would be proud of him, but there was never any mention of his mother there, or the entire series for that matter. Some have theorized that Kevin's jerkass behavior comes from implications that his parents are either divorced or his mother straight up abandoned him and his dad.
Jimmy's feelings concerning Sarah — is she a Living Emotional Crutch he is friends with to defend him, or does he have a crush on her? Several instances seem to point to the former — note that when Sarah goes off to follow Double D around, Jimmy isn't jealous, he's depressed. His best friend and the only person in the cul-de-sac who plays with him and wants to spend time with him just left him to go after Double D, a member of the trio of kids who make Jimmy's life miserable. Not only that, but when Sarah isn't around, Jimmy always gets picked on, usually by Kevin or Eddy, so without her his place in the pecking order of the cul-de-sac drops dramatically. In Jimmy's dream in "The Eds Are Coming", Kevin is seen shirtless and he and Rolf both compliment Jimmy's hair. Sarah, on the other hand, is simply running towards Jimmy looking happy and Jimmy calls her "my pummelling protector" and the dream turns into a nightmare when Sarah disappears and Jimmy is left alone and scared.
Kevin's antagonism towards Eddy. Does he hate Eddy for his tendency to scam him, or is he threatened by the fact that Nazz doesn't hate him? In "Pop Goes the Ed", he tells the Eds they weren't invited to Nazz's sprinkler party, but she didn't object when they showed up anyway. Or does he hate him because his brother used to bully him, and takes all that aggression he had against him on Eddy? "See No Ed" shows Kevin as deeply paranoid of Eddy after even a short time, openly believing he is never not up to no good, does he thus bully Eddy as a preemptive strike?
For that matter, Sarah's Jerkass behavior may come from the fact that she is constantly enabled by her mother and is scared that her mother will treat her as badly as her brother if she makes any attempt to connect with him, as seen in this blog post
In "Momma's Little Ed", Edd doesn't believe Eddy when the latter tries to confess to the fake sticky notes, claiming that he can recognize his parent's handwriting. Considering the headache he puts Eddy through later, an argument could be made that Edd did believe Eddy, but faked the incredulity for easier payback down the line.
Eddy's Brother: Was he always a brutal bully to Eddy or did the abuse only start at a later point in his life? Episodes like "Ed, Pass It On" strongly suggest the former, yet several of his Pet the Dog moments throughout the series (teaching Eddy how to make the El Mongo Stink Bomb, promising to give him his car when he turned 14, trusting him with his Porn Stash) point to the latter interpretation.
Eddy: There are several interpretations as to why Eddy chose to seek help from the one person who had been tormenting him for most of his life:
Given how much Eddy still brags about his brother, he could have a warped view of their relationship and genuinely believe his brother would be willing to help, especially due to said Pet the Dog moments and his general Faux Affably Evil demeanor.
The movie also retroactively gave this to Eddy's parents, who were thought to be as neglectful as Ed's, given that it's reasonable they may have given him tough love so as to not end up like his brother. Eddy after all was scamming kids. Not to mention, he has a Number 1 Son mug in his room and his brother checks to see if their parents are around, indicating they're protective towards Eddy against his wrath.
The Reveal of Eddy's Brother also adds a new dimension to the other kids' relationship with Eddy, and their epiphany afterwards. Especially so with Rolf and Kevin, who were implied to be previous victims of Bro's bullying in the past. Did they hate Eddy as much because they believed he was a partner in crime, only to realize he was as much a victim as they were?
