In Act 1, What does Torvald's speech about the influence of "an atmosphere of lies" reveal about his character?

Focused on business, Torvald spends a great deal of his time at home in his study, avoiding general visitors and interacting very little with his children. In fact, he sees himself primarily as responsible for the financial welfare of his family and as a guardian for his wife. Torvald is particularly concerned with morality. He also can come across as stiff and unsympathetic. Still, the last act of the play makes very clear that he dearly loves his wife. He is melodramatic about his stern beliefs that are often blown out of proportion or preposterous themselves as the above statement shows.