"People have come and gone without - without losing too much." No one leaves the Hells as quite the same person they were before, but that's just life. Hope can be re-ignited, guilt can be soothed, fresh wounds can heal.

Of course, those people usually came of their own accord, as a fierce band of allies who knew damn well what they wanted. The Captain has been thrust into another realm's afterlife, utterly alone and with no leverage to speak of.

On the other hand, an archdevil compensates for a lot of that.

"We just need a little time, and - I should be able to do that." Most devils may resent his authority, but they do recognise it.