They would let the world come to an end before they would ever truly admit that they were sorry about the decisions they made that resulted in destruction of the family and marriage. They can't tolerate the fact that what they did was wrong...and truly apologizing would be an ownership that they did wrong...and that ain't happening! On top of that, I think they have truly convinced themselves that what they did was OK...regardless of how wrong it truly was. Jesus Himself couldn't convince them otherwise.
"Always go straight forward, and if you meet the devil, cut him in two and go between the pieces." - William Sturgis, clipper ship captain, 1830's.