I love the symbolism at the end there. Even though he says he's past it, we see that he's still in the closet. His younger self surrounded by vines and thorns reflect the feelings he hid thoroughly behind that closet.
Afraid of hurting this person from these thorns that is his "new" wife, he purposely didn't share for what he thought was unbearable to her.
Her honest words lit that closet and gave him the courage to actually leave the closet and be reborn as the new man that he's going to be.