His view of democracy was ignorance controlling ignorance.
By nature he was insolent, but under the system of control pursued by the officers of the Ariadne, previous to the mutiny, he had not been able to do much.

The system had bound him down.

He had been the slave of habit, custom, and daily duty.

His record, therefore, was fairly clean until two days after the escape from the Thames and the sighting of the Portsmouth fleet.

Then all his revolutionary spirit ran riot in him.
Besides, the woman to whom he had become attached at the Nore had been put ashore on the day Dyck gained control.