Everything would fall into the category of a stress test. While it was likely valuable data to see how far some people would go to resist sharing personal details [him, he went far] I don't believe that was an intentional goal. Much like the tea and the haunted house, it seems to be a tool to force participation.

[The garden is a good contrasting experience.] However, I would consider the tea in the greenhouse a test of resilience and cooperation. The effects of the tea itself caused stressful physical afflictions, some of which made it impossible for the person affected to consume the cure for themselves. Thus they were reliant on the assistance of other people to resolve the problem they were being forced to cope with.