This illustration depicts the protagonist, having been newly transformed into a water baby, learning from a salmon and his wife of the existence of other water babies.
Madness string 4256
I think in this situation, the word 'sorry' doesn't mean very much. It's an empty gesture with no practical meaning. You can say 'sorry' when you do something to someone by accident. But when you make a conscious decision, the word 'sorry' is definitely too weak and doesn't reflect the reality of it.