I think the general point he’s making still stands. You can always choose to remove the Werewolf Contract of your own volution, then force any sort of fever dream or nightmare onto yourself.
Moreover, The Golden Age also makes a point about the dangers of remaining unchanged. Orpheus, the most wealthy man in history, has modified his brain such that his values and worldview will never shift. This puts him in sharp contrast to Phaethon as the protagonist, whose whole arc is about shifting the strict moral equilibrium of the public to make important change happen. Orpheus, trapped in his morals, is as out of touch in the era of Phaethon as would be a Catholic crusader in modern Rome.
I think the general point he’s making still stands. You can always choose to remove the Werewolf Contract of your own volution, then force any sort of fever dream or nightmare onto yourself.
Moreover, The Golden Age also makes a point about the dangers of remaining unchanged. Orpheus, the most wealthy man in history, has modified his brain such that his values and worldview will never shift. This puts him in sharp contrast to Phaethon as the protagonist, whose whole arc is about shifting the strict moral equilibrium of the public to make important change happen. Orpheus, trapped in his morals, is as out of touch in the era of Phaethon as would be a Catholic crusader in modern Rome.