He mentions the rhydo being his ‘sister’ in this scene. IIRC, he watched his sister get killed before being sent to the jungle cargo camp. So the rhydo sensations are something like the smell of cookies baking for him, a sense induced memory from his childhood that recalls a feeling of innocence before he became a soldier.

As he says ‘revolution is not for the sane’. That’s kind of the theme of the 4-6 episodes, that revolution is fueled by a passion that is in some ways not strictly rational compared to the liberal status quo. The passion fuels the revolution, but strict discipline must be maintained. Ego and adventurist intentions endanger the project. How do you build the revolution while not destroying the mental health of the participants? My guess is there will be some more answers to this in the coming episodes.