what if instead of starting the fight that ends up with Macaque dead, he observes from the shadows watching as Sun Wukong gets mistreated. being verbally and physically abused by Tripitaka and Pigsy. Already pissed at the blatant mistreatment of his mate his seemingly never-ending patients finally wears out when Tripitaka gets onto Wukong for being a "dirty monkey" and refusing to bathe like the rest of them and under the pretense of "being disobedient" uses the fillet. in Macaques eyes Tripitaka is torturing Wukong for being neglected because after all a "dirty Monkey" is a monkey that's unloved and abandoned.