They looked happy as zealots who’d just found a heathen to burn, Veppers thought. That was a little worrying. - Iain Banks

“I suppose I’d only be exposing my hopeless naivety if I asked if there was some alternative to this.”
“It would be more of a hopeless inability to come to terms with reality,” the avatar told her.

So why are we bothering?"
"Just in case."
"Just in case what?"
"Just in case it turns out to be something we should have bothered about. Always try to avoid setting up future opportunities for kicking yourself.

Apparently I am what is known as an Unreliable Narrator, though of course if you believe everything you're told you deserve whatever you get.