What caused Hinton to change his mind about not talking or interacting while he was on death row?

One night Hinton heard a man crying and telling God he could not take it anymore. As the crying went on, Hinton realized he had a choice to reach out or stay in the dark alone. He talked to the man and learned that the man's mother had died. After talking with the man for two hours. Hinton decided that he needed to end his three years of silence. The State of Alabama could steal his future and his freedom, but they could not steal his soul or his humanity. He realized that spending his days waiting to die was no way to live.