Beast did not kill Gaston. Beast showed mercy to the man who attacked him unprovoked like a coward.
NOT because Belle arrives and yells “No! Not like this!” or something like that. And it would have been SOOOO easy to put that in the movie because it is expected. But no, Beast decides not to kill him simply because he does not want to. Because it doesn’t feel right. Because he is NOT an animal.
Beast looks at Gaston with hate, consider the option of killing him, something most would really blame him for all things considered…
… And realizes that it is not that kind of person he is.
And THEN Belle arrives. And Beast can look her in the eyes without any shame. He did the right thing simply because it was the right thing to do, not for her which would have made him partly selfish.
Beast did not do the right thing because he was asked to do it, he made the choice by himself. Belle changed Beast for the better, but it matters not if she has to hold his hand and remind him to do right, making his “goodness” hollow.
theclumsiestninja 