If Maul had been with some other people, he would have been mortified to be revealing these things. Even with how well he knew Vira-Lorr, it was obviously painful to reveal the uglier parts of his mind and soul. But he knew and trusted her well enough to know she wouldn't use what he was saying against him, which helped to quell a little bit of the turmoil raging inside.

"It's all because of fear," Maul said. The words just kept spilling out of him, unbidden. He could tell it was that black hole full of despair which was causing this. "I say I want to do better, and part of me does, but most of me is afraid to change. I want to stay on the path I have always been on, to not have to deal with the consequences of my actions. I just expect everyone to leave me eventually anyway, so I push them away before that can happen, hurting both myself and them in the process."