I wonder why he feels it’s important to include a sort of prologue to the prologue, I feel like he has established the characters sufficiently. The only significant reason to the trip I can come up with is that later in the prologue he introduces it starts with the knight

Here Chaucer is describing the host like he’s also one of those going on the pilgrimage. I’m not entirely sure exactly how to interpret this other than it’s in Chaucer’s nature to observe and comment on those around him, or that their journey actually begins in the Tabard and the host is in fact a part of it

Going off the last comment I think Chaucer here is suggesting that the summoner is so far from being a good person there is no cure for his lack of morals

Interesting Chaucer presents the squire right after the knight, it makes it seem as though they are foils for each other meant to emphasize their different stages in development as knights