BoM/TWS Message Forum

The way golems work, they must obey the orders of their master, even if they'd seem conflicting. They recognize their master regardless of how they get the message - they can get orders from phone calls, though I'm not sure how that works for e-mails and texts. (I do believe that, if the golem recognizes the text comes from their master, they're bound to obey.) Most importantly - and what I believe is key to this discussion - is that the golem may show some reticence at first, but then accepts the order without question.

In that regard, if someone else puts on the mask (as you said on the example, relying specifically on what's on the mask and not on previous knowledge), it's entirely possible that they'll know they hold a grudge on someone, but afterwards - possibly after a few "very convincing words" - that's no longer the case. The wearer might get the idea that they should loathe the person, but they either somehow got convinced to keep that loathing on check or were hypnotized into doing so. (And to be fair, I incline towards the second case - suggesting that the golem's master may also be a powerful mesmerist.)

If the mask is moved from a golem owned by one master to another golem owned by the same master, it's entirely possible the orders remained. To the golem, it's like they were sent to sleep and then woke up - they have no sense of time in that regard. However, if the mask is moved into a golem owned by another master, there may be a conflict - the golem may recall that they hold a grudge over someone, but at some point they got convinced not to, and then start questioning why.

In the case of forgetting something, I believe it'd act more like a mind block. The golem wouldn't be able to remember it unless the master orders it to remember, and the master could gaslight them into remembering something they asked. But the memory, if collected at the time the mind band was first used on the target, cannot really disappear - it's like they have amnesia, but not as if you had actually erased the memory. (And I believe the same goes for subsequent memories.) In that regard, if someone puts on the mask, they won't remember it, but it's entirely possible that something that'd otherwise trigger the memory will cause a strange sense of deja vu, in that they'll feel they should know that, but they don't.

Do note that Will is a special case when wearing the masks, because he can be swept by the personality he embodies. In Prussian's case, the reason why he behaves almost robotical when wearing Number 2 is because he feels so overwhelmed trying to act like Kim that he decides to let the personality run automatically, and also, because he's wearing a mask golem owned by him. If, say, he wore one of Michelle's masks, provided the mask lacked the mask-golem coating AND it was programmed in a different kind of golem, it's possible he wouldn't do the same thing, as he'd notice the difference - but then again, it's entirely possible that he'd just let himself drift into the doppelganger personality instead. That section of the interactive is essentially unexplored ground, so it should be taken with a grain of salt.