"I'm not all demon, and neither are you." Vergil wouldn't even accept this when he was himself, so Dante wasn't entire sure what he was even doing trying to tell Nelo this now. "We're human, too. So we're bound by their rules, and they outlawed slavery a long time ago. Hell, if someone heard us talking, they'd probably drag me outside by my shirt collar and kick my ass."

That last point was hopefully a bit more understandable for Nelo. Dante was bound by the laws (he hopes) of this place not to treat him like a slave, as well as societal norms.

"It's not laughable to think about it." He begged his brother to be rational, then he got an idea. "Have you heard about the war against Malicant? We all came here to kill something not entirely different than Mundus."