He imports experimental technology and sells it to the populace. His suppliers are actually ImpCorp, who wish to observe new technologies. People are always willing to experiment on themselves.
Variel is Catholic and is conflicted about ImpCorp. He seeks forgiveness for a past tragedy that he feels responsible for, where his wife became exposed to one of his experiments, and she had a slow, lingering death. All the while, he tended her in order to protect his reputation. He knew there was nothing that could be done for her, but if someone else treated her, they would have known he was responsible for her death.
Variel’s faith has become more important to him after her death. She wanted to transition to The Abstract, and he let her do so, after the Catholic church split and sanctioned The Abstract. He has been working to make their time there heavenly, and to wipe the tragic moments of her death from both thier minds. He wants peace for her and himself, although he is conflicted as to what he will look like in the eyes of God.