A rhetorical question<span> is asked for a real answer, but to make the audience think about it. The effect that they have after being asked the question is why the question is asked. </span>
The answer is Odysseus. Upon his return, he had disguised himself as an old man. He had said these lines to Eumaeus when he was begging for food. Eumaeus is one of his trusted men. Because of this disguise, he was able to reclaim his throne from the suitors of his wife.
