He cannot celebrate his success, because he is obsessed with failure. Paul is miserable. He is attempting to eradicate his depression and fight against his sense of worthlessness through perfectionism. If he can just do more and be more, then maybe he will feel better. What Paul hasn't fully realized is that self-esteem cannot be proven by our performance.
Self doubt cripples our ability to find joy in our achievements.
So one way to flight against low self-esteem is perfectionism , trying to prove our self worth through performance. Another way to prove our self worth is through external validation . Nancy is a nurse in the intensive care unit of a local hospital. You are not worth caring for. Yet Nancy also feels desperate without a man in her life.