Here's my problem with Hermies

[Iscah]

Ironically had he just erased his memory of the events that led him to feel so depressed with that device he'd have been a functional person, or as functional as one could be on Etheirys.

I don't think it necessarily works that way – in fact, it could well have the opposite effect.

Consider that the erased events were never truly forgotten, but etched deeper in his soul to echo through lifetimes. Now, imagine if he was doing that on a semi-regular basis as an attempt at self-therapy. Erase the memory, including the memory of setting up the erasing. Every so often, get the idea again to use it "just this once". On the surface, there'd be nothing to recall; underneath, layers of anguish building up that he can't even name, until it utterly breaks him one way or another.

That said, Hermes' problem is that he cares too much about what's happening and thinks nobody else does. Because he thinks it's important to care about the creatures' fate, he isn't going to voluntarily remove that care from himself, even as it hurts him to hold onto it.