I'm going to attempt the non-catastrophic version...
Peter's worst mistakes often seem to come when he is afraid of losing face. But that isn't a risk here. Patrick gave it to him, he can't ask for it back. No-one knows he has it and can dare him about it. Peter realises he doesn't know how to sell it himself, and though he is not the world's best amateur psychologist grasps that asking Patrick to sell it is a non-started because he would start to go off on something about leading people into sin*. He gets rid of the harness, which is something he doesn't want, shoves in in an envelope in a place that won't be looked for, and goes back to school.
Because Peter does in fact have one sensible friend! Selby. Back at Dartmouth he tells Selby what has happened. Should he dump the stuff or what? Selby being both sensible and possessed of fewer hang-ups than seemingly anyone else in the novel he grasps that they are in no position to sell it, that taking it to school would be disastrous, and that they should either get rid of it, keep it for the future (should e.g. Peter end up at University in stead of in the navy), or use it themselves. So next holidays he visits or Peter visits him that is just what the do. They have some extremely entertaining evenings and use the stuff over time, or if they worry about the risk, flush it down the loo.
*What he doesn't grasp is that Patrick has deliberately shoved it to Peter because otherwise he absolutely would have taken it himself.
no subject
Peter's worst mistakes often seem to come when he is afraid of losing face. But that isn't a risk here. Patrick gave it to him, he can't ask for it back. No-one knows he has it and can dare him about it. Peter realises he doesn't know how to sell it himself, and though he is not the world's best amateur psychologist grasps that asking Patrick to sell it is a non-started because he would start to go off on something about leading people into sin*. He gets rid of the harness, which is something he doesn't want, shoves in in an envelope in a place that won't be looked for, and goes back to school.
Because Peter does in fact have one sensible friend! Selby. Back at Dartmouth he tells Selby what has happened. Should he dump the stuff or what? Selby being both sensible and possessed of fewer hang-ups than seemingly anyone else in the novel he grasps that they are in no position to sell it, that taking it to school would be disastrous, and that they should either get rid of it, keep it for the future (should e.g. Peter end up at University in stead of in the navy), or use it themselves. So next holidays he visits or Peter visits him that is just what the do. They have some extremely entertaining evenings and use the stuff over time, or if they worry about the risk, flush it down the loo.
*What he doesn't grasp is that Patrick has deliberately shoved it to Peter because otherwise he absolutely would have taken it himself.