Then he flung them down.

"What a fool I have been!" he said, and gave way to his anger again, stamping about the room and shouting curses....

For a long time he kept himself in a sort of frenzy, raging at his position, at his own folly, at the knaves who had imprisoned him.

He did this because he did not want to look calmly at his position.

He clung to his anger--because he was afraid of fear.
Presently he found himself reasoning with himself.