Betty Ragan:
Harsh, yes, but I'm inclined to think that the self-image thing *is* a factor, and not a small one. I don't have anything concrete to point to in canon supporting that, mind, so it's quite likely just me projecting. But I do think Avon has built a lot of his self-identity around being a survivor, around being pragmatic and unsentimental and controlled by intellect rather than by emotions.
Mistral:
If you're projecting, then I must be, because I agree with you. And it's more than just self-identity, methinks: lose that and he loses his whole worldview, and all the coping mechanisms that have helped him to survive what can't have been a very pleasant life. He didn't want to kill Vila, but once Orac brought it up, there was no way to get out of it without everything falling away.
Yeah - I agree absolutely. This is a bit fanciful (and apologies in advance to any Christians - no offence intended), but I see this as Avon's Gethsemane moment. His god is Logic and he thinks he's already given more than enough to show his devotion, and then he suddenly gets hit with a demand to sacrifice basically the only thing he's got left. But of course he's so far in by this time that there's no real prospect of his doing anything other than what he actually does.