Originally Posted by
Bob21
We might have a situation similar to what happened in Les Miserables, where Javert spends his whole life hunting down Jean Valjean. And then when Javier finally catches Jean Valjean, his life loses meaning and Javier committs suicide. I think the story went something like that.
Javert jumped into the river because he had broken his vow to uphold the law. He couldn't bring himself to take Jean Valjean in after realizing the honorable way Valjean had redeemed himself and lived his life, but neither could he live with himself after turning his back on everything to which he had devoted his whole life.
If you've ever seen BLOOD IN BLOOD OUT: Bound by Honor, similar thing going on when Paco is forced to shoot his own cousin and homeboy from his former gang after he has become a police officer, when confronted with the choice to either shoot or let his cousin run away from an armed robbery.
Afterwards he tells him that "you can't take away who I am" which was the police officer he had become after getting up and out of the thug life, in explaining why he had to shoot and maim his cousin for life.
Javert let Jean Valjean take away who he was, and he couldn't reconcile himself to that he had been presented with no choice but to let go of his life's principles, in the wake of a higher duty.
I don't think we have anything like that going on here.
If we did, J would have been compelled to let go of his pursuit of Rob in recognition of that notwithstanding all the past lies Rob had somehow redeemed himself and lived a life of rectitude.