Waiting for the Barbarians Lesson Plan

Why does the magistrate feel "elated" when he is first taken into custody? Does this feeling last?

The magistrate is aware of why he feels so happy to be sent to jail. He writes, "my alliance with the guardians of the Empire is over, I have set myself in opposition, the bond is broken, I am a free man." That is, he feels happy to be an enemy of the empire. Whether this is truly because he believes in the cause of the barbarians or because it simply allows him to not feel guilty anymore is unclear. The magistrate questions the reason for his elation, asking, "...have I not simply been provoked into a reaction by the sight of one of the new barbarians usurping my desk and...