I had read #16 fairly close to the time I read the HBC, so I remembered the name. Anyways, I just had a thought, which I know can't be true, but what if the Esplin narrating the HBC was Esplin the Lesser and not the one who would become Visser 3? For me this would explain V3's character decay. And I could easily imagine the twins having a conversation and Primary saying, "Great Idea! I'm using it! By the way, I'm going to make you suffer because I have no interest in sharing power."