contact bridged only by the narrowest questions
Gately usually can't follow what Ewell's saying and is unsure whether this is because he's not smart or educated enough to understand Ewell or because Ewell is simply out of his fucking mind.
Context
Two men from opposite ends of the world manage a kind of contact only by shrinking the channel to its narrowest possible width: Gately can't follow Ewell at all and covers it with a cool stare, and the exchange works only when Ewell asks one very specific question and gets one short specific answer back. Understanding is not achieved so much as routed around, the gap between them bridged by patience and precision rather than any real meeting, which is the closest thing to communication the scene allows two people this unlike.