I have a dark side that I am ashamed of. I hide it, and actually try to make up for it with my "good side" do better, do more, maybe that will make my darks side "less"
I pay pennance to my dark side by being good.
Instead, I guess I should accept that part of me for what it is, human. I can acknowledge it, face it, and work on changing it when I can. My dark side will always be there, it even has good aspects of it. My dark side helps to protect me when I'm in danger. It's my natural instinctive side that can get mean when the need arises. It's part of my defense mechanisim.
B