Noah, Noah, Did you feel sorry for all those people?

This morning I read the story of Noah and the Ark. I can imagine what it would have been like for six people to be in a boat approximately the size of a football field with two of every kind of animal and seven of some kinds. The fresh fragrance of spring it would not have been. I am sure it was a relief when the forty days of rain were over and the waters receded and the ground dried up so they could all leave the Ark and get some fresh air and exercise. As I was mulling all of this over, another difficulty that Noah had to endure popped into my mind. What about all the other people who were not invited into the Ark? What about the ones whose evil deeds presented the need for God to destroy his creation and start over again? I doubt that Noah was too friendly with these evil people. I imagine that they ridiculed him when he was working on the Ark even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Doing God's will is often difficult; having a bunch of people ridiculing you doesn't make it any easier. These people may have irritated him, but nevertheless, they were his neighbors. There must have been times when they shared refreshment, borrowed from each other, or laughed at the antics of a toddler together. Then the rains began. Noah followed God's directions and entered the Ark with his wife, sons and daughters-in-law. It rained harder. The people who had ridiculed Noah began to head for higher ground. Perhaps a few of them shouted at Noah and asked to be taken into the Ark. Maybe a part of Noah felt sorry for them. Maybe his wife had compassion for them and begged Noah to save a few of the ladies that she had shared sewing tips with or borrowed flour from so they would not drown. Staunchly, Noah followed God's directions. Maybe his sons saw childhood friends with whom they had played kick the rock or hide and seek clinging to floating logs and shouting for help. Maybe the sons wanted to reach out and allow these friends to enjoy the safety of the Ark. But Noah stood firm. God, not his personal feelings or the pleas of those around him, directed his path. Even when the last surviving evil people were congregated on the highest hill in the world, shouting that they had learned their lesson and promising that they would be good from now on, Noah did what God had directed. I wonder, was it hard for Noah to allow God's justice to prevail or did he just for a moment contemplate saving his former neighbors?