Most men, faced with who they truly are, run away screaming

Assuming that you're referring to 'the neverending story' , this statement is true.

most of us, often choose not to acknowledge the negative part of our character and tend to prefer to think that we're one of the 'good guys'
Often times, when someone with that perception faced with the fact that they're no different than those that they despise, they will chose denial over truth

What was the length to begin with?