This Doctor despises phoniness. He is annoyed at the laughter of the merry men because he does not feel it is earned. He knows it to be a façade as their situation with the sheriff is dire. What hes not taking into account, however, is the importance of attitude. Laughing in the face of danger is more than a coping mechanism; its an act of defiance, a promise to persevere. Clara slips into the story with ease but the Doctor stands outside of it. His mind is too vast, his sense of the universe all-encompassing. He cannot see the trees for the forest. This is why he needs a companion. Clara is a transition object, she is the in-between. The whole needs her so that it can understand and communicate with its parts.