The East Timorese believe a curse plagues the families of people who die without a proper burial, so this ceremony is to symbolically put Fernando's soul to rest, and bring peace to his bereaved relatives.

VOA: standard.2009.09.07

And the speakers are able, presumably, to pursue the audacious arguments that will appear in the rest of the book without the oversight of the head of the household, the embodiment of conventional opinion.

众人想必，因此可以放胆发言,如我们在往后对话中所见,而不必担心一家之长的监督，惯例见解的体现。

耶鲁公开课 - 政治哲学导论课程节选