Ernest sees Fernald and occasionally, even though he thinks this a bit cliche, he thinks he reminds him of his younger self. Bitter and angry at VFD. Feeling used and betrayed. Grasping at a chance to do something to change all that, or to simply escape from that, or maybe revenge. He understands how that feels, all too well.
Fernald is not necessarily younger than the age Ernest had turned, but he is significantly younger than Olaf in a way Ernest never has been, and Ernest sees the way Fernald grasped onto Olaf like a solution to his problem, not exactly idolization or crush but more like a drowning man grasping at a floating piece of wood in the ocean, broken though the wood might be. Still, there is some level of idolization, since Olaf can be charming when he wants to be. Objectively Ernest can acknowledge that much. He observes it impassively, and thinks, “if I’m a better person I should be stopping him from going down this path.” He thinks, if he were more noble, than he would be doing something - not talking Fernald into going back to VFD again, nothing as such, but at least keep him away from getting dragged down by Olaf. Olaf who’s been rotting away in his mansion and decaying, only occasionally putting on his old charm. It’s one thing for O to be plotting evil schemes, another for him to simply drink himself away. E would not have minded if Fernald was getting involved in the former, but the latter - okay, Ernest supposes he still doesn’t care that much.
If he were a more noble person he would’ve done something, he thinks. Someone more noble like Jacques Snicket, perhaps, E thinks to himself. Pity I’m not. Not all of us can be Jacques Snicket.
Then he remembers how it was J’s reporting in Daily Punctilio that threw Fernald under the bus that was the last straw. That caused Fernald to switch sides.
How ironic, he thinks, a bit impassively.