"This is absurd!"
"Master Bruce, you insisted that in order to fight evil, you must understand a variety of disciplines, that among these are the disciplines of deception, which –"
"I know what I said!" He drew a hand across his face. "This just seems like a singularly… undignified way to go about it."
"If I might say so, sir, this would be far more in keeping with your public persona than any of your preceding studies. I hesitate to say that you have been lax on that particular front, but –"
"Fine, I'll do it."
…
Back then, no one could've called him lazy. Of course, in later years, he found it necessary to conceal his incredible tenacity and adaptability from the wider world. Ironically, the experience gained from this endeavor contributed heavily to his eventual public image.
He went to every rehearsal punctually. He memorized his lines with astonishing speed, and if he needed to work on anything, he stayed for as long as was necessary. It surprised no one that he later won the award for "Best Dramatic Performance," although everyone was a little intrigued that Bruce Wayne would enjoy something so decidedly right-brained. Later, they saw it as a reflection of the change in his character as he grew from a dedicated youth with money into a careless playboy.
It was an altogether serious project, with the goal of a serious education in mind. He constantly defended his decision, saying that he didn't enjoy it, that it was a contribution to his crime-fighting career. It was not useless. It was not wasted time. It was not fun, and he had no desire to look upon it later as anything more than a training exercise.
That didn't stop Alfred from bringing a video camera to opening night.
…
"ALFRED!"
It was a testament to the elderly servant's skills that he didn't even flinch at the sound, merely asking whether his presence was required in a voice that somehow carried down to the living room. Bruce responded by scaling the stairs, shouting as he went.
"How could you? That was completely inappropriate! You've undermined my authority, you've given him an inaccurate picture of the necessary skill set for crime fighting, you've…" He continued at roughly the same volume until well after he had found Alfred, making it unnecessary.
Alfred waited until a reasonably-long pause signified that the tirade was over before replying, "Then my gift to Master Richard was inappropriate, sir?"
"In what sense was it appropriate?"
"It seemed that he would appreciate that a great hero need not always be so serious."
"That is precisely what he doesn't need to learn! He needs to learn discipline, strength, the importance of serious effort!"
"If I may, sir, he also needs to learn that you aren't going to kill him in his sleep."
"… Fine."
Still dressed in his bathrobe, Bruce Wayne marched down to the Batcave to begin some modifications to his car. If on the way there he covered his ears to avoid hearing the recording in the DVD player or the raucous laughter of the young boy on the couch, what of it?
Alfred, meanwhile, walked off to do the rest of the dusting, whistling under his breath:
"Luck be a lady tonight. Luck, be a lady tonight…"