Cotton, being a generally good soul who always tries to do the right thing is being eaten alive by his murderous sin. He tries to reason with himself by talking to a portrait of his father, convincing himself that he was trying to save his father from committing a murderous sin when in reality Cotton likely wanted his father dead for a long time. The war of good and evil rages on inside Cotton and he starts to be driven mad by the portrait's piercing gaze (a likeness that is uncanny) and he goes to stab the painting like a madman. This is one of three portraits, all unique from each take in Season 2 Episode 1.