He “unalives” bad guys, sometimes for free, and this gives him a sense of purpose, even in an absurd world.

Not as I could find i' my heart to let him stay i' the coal-hole more nor a minute, but it was enough to colly him all over. . . .

I sprang back, giving utterance to a cry, which brought Watkins to me, and the two of us stared at the grewsome object and then about into the wavering shadows.

With roral wash redeem her face, / And prove herself of Titan's race, / And, mounting in loose robes the skies, / Shed light and fragrance as she flies.