Claudius's first thought is that it's too early and he's too sober to be this sincerely touched, and his second thought is that that’s probably a pattern. He doesn’t have to be drunk and distempered to have a sincere feeling, but one does tend to lead the other. Perhaps such thoughts always come up later because never lets them see the light of day.

"The reverse is true, too, I'm sure you know,” he says, after a moment fighting his self-consciousness. “I’m with you. We’re equals.”