Man is still wicked; God is still merciful

Genesis 6-9 paints a picture of contrast. Fallen human beings continue to be fallen, even at their best. It gets so bad that judgement is delivered in the form of a flood, which kills most of humankind and the animals as well, except for those in the ark.  But the Flood does not destroy the human tendency to sin.  Yet God is merciful in that even though we sin, He will not cover the whole earth with a flood again.  Man continues to sin, as shown in the actions of Noah and Ham in chapter 9, but God remains faithful.  He does not kill everybody all over again.  It's all part of His plan, to redeem us for Himself.  Even though we don't know all the details, God still has mercy on those He chooses, and to Him be glory and honor for that!