"My old man's always said I'm slow learner with a smart mouth." That's why the lessons keep happening, after all. It's a laughable way to frame abuse, but it's what Lewis has called it since he could remember and it kind of stuck. For awhile, he bought it, thought that if he could be a better son, he could make it all go away.

Eventually, he figured out nothing would ever be enough to make it stop.

"Maybe you can help me find a way to keep it shut. Seems like a pretty handy lesson to learn." He really doesn't mean it like it sounds, but even more than the words, but also the teasing inflection in them, it definitely sounds like a come-on of a kind.