Whenever you are caught in a deceit you call it a hypothetical.
He's lying. When I spoke of it as a hypothetical he asked if my speaking about him and the young woman in question should open the gates to him speaking about my relationship with my wife. Of course, I hadn't said anything negative about the young lady, but I expressed my not understanding that he was actually in a relationship and he offered that he was...so beans and bad rubbish.
As to Trad's opinion, you have to remember his condition. To him what seems high art may look like mean spirited vaudeville to many and what seems high art to many be missed entirely.