Commentary for Kiddushin 65:10
ה"נ מסתברא דאמר רבה בר בר חנה אמר ר' יוחנן בכל מקום מותר להרהר חוץ מבית המרחץ ומבית הכסא דילמא לאונסיה שאני
For Rabbah B'Bar Hanah said: One may meditate [on learning] everywhere except at the baths and in a privy.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since the Rabbi suggested that they might have been meditating on their studies, they must have been in the outer chamber,');"><sup>15</sup></span> [That however does not follow:] maybe it is different when [done] involuntarily.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' They may have been in the inner chamber, yet involuntarily their thoughts wandered to their studies - not an unlikely supposition of men to whom the study of the Torah was one of the most vital objects in life.');"><sup>16</sup></span> 'I might think one may shut his eyes as though he has not seen him.'
Daf Shevui to Kiddushin
The idea that Bar Kapara was in an outer room is also logical, for if he were in the inner room, he would not have been allowed to even think about Torah.
However, this last support for the resolution is not certain. It is possible that Bar Kapara was in the inner chamber and was thinking about Torah, even though he should not have been doing so. After all, one does not always have control of one’s thoughts.