You made the mistake by going back. I gave up for years, but out of curiosity, I watched again to see them bring dirty Den back. As you said, nothing had changed, so I gave up again shortly after.
But surely the pub/cafe/salon/car lot/veg stall/clothes stall/road sweeping/garage/nightclub ownership must have changed at some point in the last 20 years? Or are they still all owned in some tenuous way by The Family?