Final answer:
Phineas Gage, after suffering frontal lobe damage, would have needed structured routines and a supportive environment to help 'fit in,' which was hardly available in the 19th century. Today, he would have access to TBI rehabilitation, counseling, and societal accommodations. Progressive reforms of the time were changing public perception of such issues.
Step-by-step explanation:
If Phineas Gage experienced temperamental changes and capricious behavior after an iron rod damaged his frontal lobe, specifically the prefrontal cortex, this suggests the injury impacted his impulse control and personality. In the 19th century, societal support for such injuries was minimal. Suggestions for helping Gage 'fit in' might have included structured routines, a supportive community of family and friends, and possibly engaging in work that was less demanding on his cognitive and social capacities, as he did when he later worked as a coach driver.
Today, society offers a broad range of supports that were unavailable in 1848. These supports include medical intervention, rehabilitation services, counseling, and mental health support programs. Gage's situation would be vastly different, as he would have access to traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation programs, possibly disability benefits, and a greater understanding of his condition in the workplace and society, which might lead to accommodations and support to integrate him back into society.
In the context of Phineas Gage's era, reforms in prisons, asylums, and schools were just beginning. These changes were part of a broader movement that aimed to treat social issues not as moral failings, but as conditions that could be improved with the correct institutional support. Considering these evolving attitudes, Gage might have been viewed more sympathetically over time as the public became more aware of the nature of his injuries and the resulting behavioral changes.