You're comparing your preapproval to their porch photo. That's an edit, not the story. You don't need their speed. You need one yes you can carry.

The thought behind it

Comparison needs two comparable things. The sentence points out that you never had them. In The Long Game the reward is real but late, and the only skill on offer is staying. Read it again for “22”. That is the point at which observation turns into a decision.