you're right Caramelle, Ellery is good a reading people. He knows how far he can go with the questions and knows when Ennis has had enough.
this dialogue is so intens and sad, Ennis's life in only a few words...
“You ever been with a man, Ennis?”
“Yeah – so?”
“So you ain’t wonderin about yourself...”
“No – just wonderin about everybody else. Never met no other queers.”
“So what happened? It didn’t work out? Yer wife find out an kick ya out?”
Ennis went from gray to green. “Got killed.”
“Sorry ta hear it, Ennis. Violence?”
“I dunno, don’t want ta think about... it wasn’t that long ago, if ya don’t mind.”
“Sure, okay.