People lie for all sorts of reasons, but there’s one lie Innocent won’t tell: the one to himself. When he tries to believe something other than reality, he feels shame — and that shame is the tell. “Given the choice to live a lie or to live a painful truth, I’ll choose the latter because, to me, living a lie is more painful.”

The comparison is the point. A hard truth hurts once and in the open; a comfortable lie hurts quietly and keeps hurting. He’d rather take the clean pain.

So he lives up to his own expectations first, and lets other people’s in only around the edges. Being true to himself is what keeps him recognisable to himself.