I wanted to make it unclear whether the alpha dog was Ferd or not. I think I succeeded in that, but I didn't make the truth clear enough when the time came. Thack is letting Ferd believe Ferd is in charge, because their self-interests coincide and it allows Thack to be more clandestine.

Thackerabilitus Sieughiewiecz's name was meant to be as intimidating as possible, something only a genius-level intellect would even think to call himself (and then bristle when everyone else nicknames him). I stirred together the names "Thackeray" and "Bill Sienkiewicz" with the words "honorificabilitudinitatibus" and "ugh," then tweaked the results until I had what I wanted.