There is the land beyond the village, mayhap it could offer you the distance you need from this crude depravity.

[He has been thinking about that all day, to wander into the woods to get some semblance of quiet solitude. It's not like running off unannounced wasn't something he did on the regular, after all.]

Even the soldiers who could not contain themselves had some shame for their actions. They did their best to not draw attention to themselves, for they knew what consequences were sure to follow if they did.

Perhaps that's the crux of it: with no consequence, a man is willing to throw aside dignity and pride for his deeper yearnings. 'Tis pathetic.