Severean's Reverse Psychology

Severian is trying to fashion an interesting story as the men are chasing after one of their people who inexplicably charged through the gate on his own. He constantly wants us to think of himself as older than he is, not in physical age but in terms of like mature age. We know he's going to be exiled. I think he's doing a lot of tricks here to absolve himself of responsibility or to give himself an out. An out or at least a way to live with himself for committing a crime.