Lampshade Hanging (or, more informally, "Lampshading") is the writers' trick of dealing with any element of the story that seems too dubious to take at face value, whether a very implausible plot development or a particularly blatant use of a trope, by calling attention to it and simply moving on.
I also never heard it before, probably should have, here's the first part of the definition from TV tropes:
"Lampshade Hanging (or, more informally, "Lampshading") is the writers' trick of dealing with any element of the story that seems too dubious to take at face value, whether a very implausible plot development or a particularly blatant use of a trope, by calling attention to it and simply moving on."
He's like Candid but doesn't make you want to gauge your eyes out just to avoid reading the book, but it's due in you philosophy class and you can't afford to fail.
I know the book as I'm from the same country, so I wondered if there was some specific issue from the English side. It's a satire of Leibniz philosophy and religion, so I think it's its purpose to make you frustrated with the character.