You didn't say how old the man was but maybe he was from a country or remembered a time when an overreach of authoritarian government was unacceptable under any circumstances. In our area the government still "allows" people to order inside but they just can't dine in. Maybe the old geyser had that expectation.

Someone with a deep understanding of history might find themselves isolated or scared when confronted by an unimaginable situation like that. When people are scared they don't always act in a civil way.