Why do you keep referring to him as “alterPaul”?
I really believe the man lives in an alternate universe.
It revolves a science fiction story line where there are alternate universes and the main charters refer to the people in the alternate universe as (whatever their names are) the other person as alter(whatever).
So Sam in this universe becomes alterSam in the alternate universe.
That’s all, I did not used to but the more he speaks the more it seems to fit.
Paul and “Paulter” ~