Which is much more personal than his more common 'understood'. There's a depth of feeling in those words. He understands the desire not stay in Chicago.

Which makes his decision not to transfer in MotB that much more telling, don't you think? Already he feels committed to this new Ray, after a relatively short time.

The same can also be said of Ray, of course. His desire to be 'himself' - vocalised in MotB - is eclipsed by his desire to be who he is when he's with Fraser, culminating in his life-changing decision in CotW.