Betty Ragan wrote:
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.
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.
Mistral