[A mirthless sound like a laugh, but not quite managing to get that far.]

The Numbered are far from immune to it, no matter what approach they take. You can't meekly sit back and take it, but you also can't bully your way into having friends. But religious criticisms are older and have had the time to put down deeper roots, so... it can be helpful to compare and draw what parallels you can.

[He must have gotten good scores, Lazarus thinks wryly, if they're from the same place and Micah's role was what he's led to believe.]

You've chosen isolation, or there just isn't time for pursuing relationships?