I would say understatement.
Example: You fall down the stairs and break your leg.While the ambulance is on the way, your friends asks how much it hurts and instead of wanting to seem like a crybaby you downplay how much pain you're actually in. Which is an understatement.
Answer:
Because he is repulsed by his appearance
i totally forgot how to read english while reading that
Different people in the story (hint: CHARACTERization focuses on CHARACTERS)
