what does " may have been to figure" mean?

Question

She was my best friend, and hard as it may have been to figure by the looks of us, she was the good girl, I the bad.

Would anyone please teach me what the bold part mean simply?

Meanwhile, I think you remove was in the situation- I was the bad, don't you?

Thanks

Answer 1

Figure here means "To come to understand" or "to deduce" (meaning #2).

So "hard as it may have been to come to understand by the looks of us" – or simply, "hard as it been to know."