I love the contrast between Remus's internal monologue and the actual reality, like sometimes he'll be like "there's no way my friends actually like me, they must think I'm a monster deep down"
Meanwhile everyone loves and adores him and they think he's the nicest and cutest ever
That's exactly it, that's my Remus Lupin through and through and how I've always seen the character!
Remus is a very self-deprecating person, and I think it's something we can clearly see in canon. There aren't many occasions in which he talks kindly about himself (right now, I'm not even sure if there is a single moment he does, actually) and, well, yes, it's mostly due to his lycanthropy, but can we really blame him?
He was bitten at 5 years old and during his whole life he has known pain and society rejection. Remus learnt to keep it a secret from the very beginning, and his parents devoted their lives to keep him safe and his condition a secret. It is easy to understand how guilty he must have felt, even as a child for chaging and potentially "ruining" his family’s life. Even if he was never at fault for it.
When he starts Hogwarts, he is told to keep it a secret. And the easiest way is to keep his mouth closed and to actively contribute to be perceived as invisible. But they, Sirius, James and Peter discover his secret and they keep being friends. And it's good. But why if they are only friends with him for the thrill of it? Why if they are only turning themselves into animagi so they can be reckless and break a million laws and have amazing stories, not for his wellbeing? And then he is used as a weapon and, he should've seen it coming, right? He is a monster.
Then the war. There's a possibility he was working with the Packs back then. And then he is again reducing himself to that mission and his condition as monster. All the time.
He hates it, he hates his lycanthropy, he hates what happened to him and what could happen if everyone discovers it. So, in his mind, he has no reason to believe, even if they actively prove him wrong, that his friends and family love him for what and how he is a person, regardless of the Wolf.
Remus doesn't see himself as a kind and funny person. Doesn't believe he deserves to be part of the group, or to be looked at as more than a mere inconvenience. And that's toxic, that's bad, that's his biggest flaw. It's really selfish to be like that. But he can't help it. And, in the end, Remus will actively contribute to be seen as such a thing. He can't really help it.
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