That Antain is haunted by his memories of the madwoman and of Luna shows how dwelling on sad memories like this can make a person less receptive or reactive to things that are happening around them in real time. Because Antain is so caught up in his memories and is so sad, he’s unable to grasp that Gherland is trying to do him a big favor here by telling him to get in line—the implication is that if Antain won’t shape up, he’ll probably be killed. This also gives another positive and nuanced layer to Gherland’s villainous character, as he’s likely not supposed to be this open with Antain.