Billy absolutely know what this is. Hickey's talked about it and he's certain that Crozier's already found some way to warn Billy about what it is his lover does. But if Hickey doesn't say what the meat is and Billy doesn't ask, then it's an out. It's Billy being able to say 'oh, I didn't know what I was doing' or 'he tricked me.' And Hickey is well aware that given the chance, Billy will hang him out to dry. After all, he's done that before.

Devious seducer, huh Billy.

So logically speaking, he shouldn't be offering this up. He should just be focused on himself. But here? Now? The alternative is watching Billy waste away. They don't know how long the lack of food will last. They don't know how long it will take until people starve. And given the chance? Hickey's not letting that happen to Billy.

"Course I did," Hickey says, with a cavalier little shrug and a smile. "I said I'd provide for you. What sort of horrible person would I be if I went back on my word?"

Don't die. Don't starve. Stay alive. Hickey doesn't want to live through that again.