Rufus wants to be a good man, but he is not willing to do the necessary hard work. While his impulses are praiseworthy, his behavior is consistently atrocious. Rufus often asks others to do his dirty work for him in order to insulate himself from the violence of his actions. Likewise, he understands that rape is a horrifying act, but instead of stopping himself from raping women, he assuages his guilt by forcing his victims to fake enthusiasm. He sees the pain he inflicts, but rather than changing his behavior, he continues to do harm and then expresses genuine regret after the damage has been done. When he is getting his way, Rufus can be a kind and gentle man. But despite his occasional flashes of warmth and his tenuous understanding of morality, Rufus is, in the end, a brutal man. He thinks nothing of beating and continually raping women, selling men, and breaking up families. He is selfish and brutal, and his selfishness and brutality only worsen as he gets older.