"Much younger, meaning, possibly my age?" Reid retorts in an amiable joke, proving he does have a sense of humor. The part of Reid that thinks everything is a grand puzzle for him to solve will probably never die; it's too big a part of him. It's what lets him face all the morbid, horrific things he encounters at work without losing his compassion or humanity. It's just part of the puzzle.

As for the dual-layered part of this discussion... "Right, the number of possibilities is exponentially large, enough that most people would term it unique. There's value in each one. Enough that it's worth trying to win, no matter how repetitive." It's where he and Gideon disagree, although some days Spencer is closer to understanding him than others-- the bad days.