Henry is ashamed of his desertion and is unable to accept that he behaved wrongly. How should people behave when they have done something of which they are ashamed?

WEll, we have been taught to own up to the truth . Usually this is the best policy. Lying can often come back to bite you as well as mess with your conscience. In Henry's case, most everybody else ran away as well. It was perhaps wiser for Henry to lie a little considering the Hell he had to endure.