If neither of us were benders from the beginning, yes, perhaps he would have kept the loving father act and perhaps we never would have known his past at all. But we are benders, and taking that away won't do a thing except put us at a defensive disadvantage.

[Not that all non-benders were defenseless, but most of the great non-bender fighters had trained with some sort of weapon since they were very young and Tarrlok figured he was too old to learn an entirely different fighting style. Not everyone could be a prodigy.]

It may not justify it, but at the same time...we can't be expected to make all the right choices alone. Maybe you were just a scared child when you ran off, but your last words to me then were all I had. I tried to be someone you wouldn't think was weak anymore, so I could at least feel like you would have thought better of me if I ever got to see you again. I suppose that's pointless now.