I personally think that the narrator included the taunting to show the reason behind why he had the consequences that he did. BTW,as for the 1st question, it depends on who would be the narrator in this story, for there are many versions of this story. Not all of them vary, but its still important to clarify if the point of view is 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. Odysseus might view his actions as courageous and full of bravery, for coming up with a plan such as that to be able to destroy such a beast.
