Why no 'V' in Prison?

It doesn't explain it, no.

I guess Ruth can't bring herself to go to visit him. Since it seems it took Bob some time to make it home I suppose we can assume he was fairly far away (?? I mean not necessarily… I'm sure during his escape he'd have had to escape any which way and could easily have travelled away from Ruth at first due to necessity), but Ruth later talks about how she couldn't even bring herself to write to Bob after Sylvie was born so I guess she's not going to go and visit the guy if she can't even write him a letter. This story is about Bob the dreamer, but maybe in this sense Ruth is just as much. Perhaps if she doesn't go and see Bob herself she can pretend he's not in jail but away from her elsewhere? She must, surely, feel very guilty for her freedom?

Ruth does kind of explain. She says "...I've been storing things up all this time. Sitting awake at night, thinking of all the things I want to say to him. Except now I have so many things I don't know how I'd ever start... [snip]…. I figured that I'd just tell him all at once when I saw him. He'd walk through the door and I'd know exactly what to say to him and things would be the way they used to be. So I've been saving every little thing."

I mean, from this, it seems like Ruth wouldn't have visited Bob if he were close or far away. She's set her mind to wait for him, but she's not even really thought about what that means. She's really waiting for things to be the way they used to be… While at the same time knowing they're already not.

I think it's easy to understand why she wouldn't take Sylvie to see Bob, but I must admit it is pretty cruel to never write and not go see him at all?! Yet Bob believes just as strong as ever she and Sylvie will be there waiting.

The film is about Bob longing and trying to reunite with his family, and Ruth does love him, but this isn't a love story where every character loves the other so much they'd do literally anything for/to be with them.

Interesting question though. I must admit, while I'd thought about Ruth not writing to Bob, I'd never thought about her not having visited him. I guess you could also say she might've visited Bob before Sylvie was born (it's clear she hadn't since) - we're not told she didn't… But I get the impression she didn't…. It seems quite clear they'd never seen each other since that last tearing-apart.

When bob is talking to sweetie he tells a story about doing a job in st. Louis. I don't think they were in Texas for that last job they were caught for.

Also not sure they would a potential part in crime visit. And bob's escape attempts might have kept him from having visitors.