tactics
Ian spent 80 percent of his time bored.
In the Abbey, when he was the smallest person in the entire building and before the teachers decided it ought to stop, this resulted in sojourns through the air vents. That, alongside the ease with which Ian channeled depraved thought-processes, resulted in Ian knowing more about how the Abbey was run than the average guard, the average scientist, even the average teacher. In the end, he knew almost as much as Boris.
Certainly more than Boris gave him credit for. It later resulted in, sure, indispensible testimonies for ill-fated court cases, but more often police 'discoveries' based on the tips of an 'anonymous' informant, who asked just that they leave the Demolition Boys very much alone. Forever.
They did. Because with what Ian knew, he could make the lives of certain politicians difficult. With what Ian knew and didn't tell, he had the upper hand on approximately everyone. After all in the Abbey, when you were the smallest person in the building, you really had to take your advantages where they came. You had to make yourself seem somehow larger.
After all. If you weren't going to escape, you had to play.
a/n: Silent-snide deadly Ian is my favorite goblin. Particularly with his lamination machine.