Ford's feelings about being compared to Flatlanders who hadn't been willing to do what Bill demanded of them, willing to break a world, are muddled and confused by the alcohol-buzz. He barely knows how he feels at the best of times, when he's completely sober and his moral scruples aren't at odds with the way being important to Bill makes him feel. Ford's quiet a moment, trying (and failing) to process it.

And then he's bonked on the nose, which alone is enough to pull him most of the way back to the present.

"Mmf!" He reaches up to straighten Bill out. "Careful, you're swerving," says Ford.