Consider what Montag really does for a living. He destroys people's lives; he burns their homes, heralds their removal from society, and takes away everything that they knew and loved. This is not something to take lightly. Montag will never be able to wash off the responsibility of what he has done to people's lives. He can never wash off the guilt of what he has done to others. Later in the book, an old lady, Mrs. Blake, chooses to perish in the flames rather than be removed; this weighs heavily on him. He is so distraught and tormented by guilt that he becomes physically sick at the thought of her dying in her house, and that he was the one that lit the match. So, he is not able to wash off the guilt of what he has done. It will serve as a constant reminder of how his society got to that point, and will hopefully propel him to change for the good.
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