There's nothing wrong with Pulaski that couldn't be fixed with a shallow grave.
Barclay thought to be a successful vibrant and confident person was to be the Doctor, which is what he was so petrified and inconfident to evolve into. It's like Jesus turning into God through crucifixion, Barclay has hesitant about the exposure he'd need balls forward to properly apotheosize into some one as unstoppable as the doctor.
If so, then Barclay was right to be afraid of the monster he was utterly capable of becoming because that person would as surely destroy the universe as rule it.
Meanwhile people turned up for his one man show of Cyrano, and he played an instrument in public too... Reginald was gaining a following.
The truly sad thing about Pulaskik, is that after you've killed her, I don't think she'd be edible even as petfood.