Steve/Jess
I often wish alcohol had an impact on me, if that tells you anything.
I've tried to talk to him, but it seems like anything I say goes in one ear and out the other. He had a bad childhood, and John Garrett took advantage of that, manipulated him, used him. That's all true, and it's terrible that it happened, and I'm glad Garrett's dead now, because I'd have him killed myself if I could.
But for all he says he wants to be a better person now or he's not the same person, he still lashes out at other people and then wonders why everyone thinks he's a jerk. He still blames other people for the things that he's done, or for things that they didn't actually cause. He isn't sorry about all of the things he's done, and he'd probably do some of it again if given the chance. For all he says he knew he was doing something wrong, but couldn't break his loyalty to Garrett, he never stepped up to fix anything he and Garrett caused in our world after the fact. He didn't use his intel from HYDRA to stop them. He joined them. He led them. He was helping HYDRA bring something, some incredibly destructive inhuman, back from another planet. Coulson seems to think he should have been merciful, despite knowing what the cost of allowing Ward to fulfill his mission would have been, but I don't agree. If you want an honest - biased, but honest - perspective, talk to Daisy and Bobbi.
He says he's not that guy he becomes later, and that's true enough, but he's very good at spinning his words to make himself sound like the victim, and he doesn't seem to try to play well with others. I'm honestly at a loss for how to help him.