Originally Posted by
tape
I don't think that quote really applies to LXH...he did not consider women, especially Lin Shiyin, as replaceable.
He spent the rest of his life as a mourning alcoholic because of her.
He abused her psychologically, which is why I don't think anyone blames Lin for eventually leaving him, but it was what he needed to do to achieve the end goal of her leaving him.
I mean he is an incredibly intelligent guy, and throughout the novel he seems to understand human emotions very well...yet he thought what he did was the better path even though it caused him incredible pain. I really can't blame him, even if I can't understand him.
He wasn't just thinking about himself, or Long, or Lin, but of all three of them. He chose the path that he thought would bring the least amount of total pain to the other two, and (unfortunately) the greatest amount to himself. Maybe it could have been the wrong choice, but I don't think it's anywhere near clear that the other choices were better. The self sacrifice is the key thing to note imho.