Again, Matty's little thrill at being able to snub people who were once cruel to him reminds the reader that while Matty is the novel's hero, he's not entirely without fault—he still likes feeling superior. However, he also possesses the capacity to understand that in order to properly serve Village and work for the common good, it's important to understand Village's history and the way that things could be if Village didn't focus so much on the common good. It’s clear that something fundamental has changed about Mentor if he is suddenly acting in such an uncharacteristically selfish way.