Provoke

The person sitting next to Lex looked him in the eyes. Although he had been scared and panicked when he woke up in his current predicament, he had calmed down enough to think. It was clear to him, and everyone else, that Lex was trying to do something.

Most likely he was trying to escape, which made the most sense. But he honestly saw no way they could get out of the situation. In which case, what he had to do was to make sure he didn't get dragged into any extra trouble.

"I think the more the merrier," the man managed to say without stuttering. "One person alone gaining an appreciation for living with purpose is just one person alone. How can he compete with more people?"

The man didn't know what purpose Lex had, but it seemed like he wanted to assure his own survival in exchange for giving up the rest, so he couldn't agree to what Lex said. But he did not realize that he had reacted exactly how Lex wanted.