When Mary Kay asked the boss "What did he do? Drugs? Armed robbery" and he simply replied...
... "Mind your own business Mary Kay", I had to wonder...
Given especially what we see LATER happen, could that boss say have made something UP about Walter given how, well, factually, yes, they are more despised and people are more sensitized towards them and fearful of them than those other categories of people. Instead of just saying, however legitimately, "mind your own business".
So as to avoid raising unnecessary CURIOSITY around the subject's criminal past.
Or EVEN, for example, welcome him into this new company under the guise that maybe he just has some kind of mental illness or some made up tragedy or maybe abandonment and maybe allow him to respectfully not want to talk about it rather than informing them all that he is a former criminal of some or other sort?
Maybe not much if at all COULD have been done to disguise his true nature and criminal past, but still...