[ So it is the second one. He's afraid someone will show up and... do something, as yet undefined, for being disloyal. Not that Harold agrees with the concept of disloyalty being applied here; you cannot be disloyal in thought, not practically speaking, and with none of his other comrades around, what exactly could he be acting disloyal to? Maybe he should slip Carver a copy of Nineteen Eighty-Four with some particular passages highlighted.

But if thought corrupts language, language also corrupts thought.

Or maybe that would be too aggressive. Harold has very recently come to lose some of his longstanding patience, and that is incredibly poor timing for this conversation. He struggles to find it again and is left speaking in a measured tone, cautious but implacable in his decisions. ]

Let me be clear on one thing. I have no interest in dissuading you of your beliefs, and I will do my utmost to respect your choices.

But if I have reason to believe someone is harming you, physically or mentally, I will not stand by passively as it occurs.