Am adoring the... switch if you will... that instead of a slave analyzing how to please master, we've a master analyzing the motivations behind a slave. (Not that masters can't be briefly obsessed by a shiny new toy, but the whole society of slavery is established, so while it may be a new situation/slave for them, it's not new.)

I suppose you've summed it all up pretty with: And that’s the real difference. That Karl isn’t afraid of him. Wouldn’t be even if Matt had started their day by whipping the skin off of Karl’s back.