But by quoting Tucker's eloquent letter to him, he actually makes himself seem even more heartless.
By quoting Tucker's eloquent and heartbreaking letter to him, he makes himself sound heartless and like a bad friend. 
mnli hypothesis: By quoting Tucker's eloquent and heartbreaking letter to him, he makes himself sound heartless and like a bad friend.  premise: But by quoting Tucker's eloquent letter to him, he actually makes himself seem even more heartless.