Oscar recognizes the voice and turns toward its owner, growing slightly rigid now that their presence is known. He is understandably wary as the voice belongs to a person he met on the day of his second arrival who was quite insistent on solving their problems with violence. Whether that behavior was a direct result of the harmful effects inflicted by the insects was never conclusively determined.

"One cannot grieve that which has not happened."

It will occur to him seconds later that he could just as easily have stated that automatons are not able to grieve in a human manner.