this is true only to an extent -- users will adapt to the structure by including (or not) any quotes from the comment(s) being replied to. If the default view

this is true only to an extent -- users will adapt to the structure by including (or not) any quotes from the comment(s) being replied to. If the default view is threaded and you've rendered it as flat, all that missing context affects the reading of it. If the default view is flat and you've rendered it as nested you end up with a lot of embedded quotations that repeat the context now plainly visible.