[yaks_hairbrush]

> The issue is rather that we don't know what all that star stuff becomes once it goes into the black hole, though there are theories. The problem is that the defining feature of a black hole, its even horizon, by necessity means there is no way of knowing what theory is correct since nothing happening inside is supposed to matter to us.

Right. As far as "an observer at infinity" is concerned, all that in-falling matter gets asymptotically closer to the event horizon and never crosses it.

One way to reframe the situation which I quite like: Black holes have no insides.