What can be inferred about Drood after reading this passage?

How does this passage contribute to the overall meaning of the story

4.in those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. •type of figurative language: •meaning of figurative language: •effect on tone and mood: •effect on audience: choose out of these: hyperbole, irony, historical question, paradox, allusion,metaphor,personification,symbolism and simile

In this example, what does the author use to describe laurie