Why do nested dictionaries update retroactively?

[dmasters4919]

If you have a normal dictionary key and you set a variable equal to that key's definition and then change the value of that variable, the definition within the dictionary won't change unless you re-save it in the dictionary. However, as you can see by running the sub below, if you have a nested dictionary and change anything within it, you don't need to resave it in the original dictionary for the changes to take affect. Anything you add or change will still be reflected in the original dictionary. The only exception is when you set the dictionary equal to Nothing. In that case, the nested dictionary will still exist in the original dictionary. Is there a good explanation for this?

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[jindon]

dic1 & dic2 is a totally different instance of object.

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[dmasters4919]

It's because they are different instances that I'm surprised dic1 definition of dic2 changes even without re-saving them

dic1 & dic2 is a totally different instance of object.

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[dmasters4919]

If we expected regular variables to do the same, this message box would display as 7 instead of 4

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dic1 & dic2 is a totally different instance of object.

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[romperstomper]

That's completely different. You're assigning a literal value to the dictionary element then assigning that value to a variable. There is no connection between the two thereafter.