Can caring for someone ever be too late?

This is so random but I hate how people always say it’s too late to care but yet most people will say that it’s never too late to start caring because at least they’re changing/making it up for the past. Which one is it? Never starting to care at all or at least starting to care/making it up for someone in the past?

When people say it ‘depends on the situation’, I feel like it usually it isn’t but rather that it’s all abt personal opinion about how they feel abt the person and what you know about them so far or their appearance to either give them motivation or discouragement for starting to change/making up for the past and to care about the people close to them.

I hope I am making sense about what I’m saying here, like when someone says it’s too late or not too late to make up for the past, it’s usually not what they chose to ignore in the past or the timing that people chose to not support or support their change but rather depending on how much they know this person and how much they like them. For example, the different types of comments between someone who dislikes this certain character and someone who likes this certain character.

So this is just overall a yes or no question. No depending on the situation or made up situation and no favorite character involved in your opinion/answer. Is it ever too late to start caring/make up for the past?