I still don’t understand Russian Humor

The other day I had a huge test. So I studied. I went to the best study joint in all of Russia, Carl’s Jr. They have free refills on drinks, and all the ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise I could possibly want. Sounds so regular I know, but here in Russia, Carl’s is the only place where these regular “luxuries” exist. Plus there is a very cute bus boy who works there named Sergei. But eventually my studying had an end. I had drunk as much as I could handle, and watched Sergei clean one too many tables. It was time for me to go. I decided to take a long leisurely walk home along the Griboedova Canal, that leads directly to the Church on Spilled Blood, or as my brother and dad liked to refer to it when they were here, the church with the “ice cream swirls.” As I was walking along the canal three men ran across me going towards the metal fence along the canal, which usually prevents people from falling into the horribly foul and unhygienic water. As I stopped to exam closer what was going on, two of the men seemed happy, and one not so much. The unhappy comrade was in the middle and being pulled towards the water’s edge. As soon as the band got to the fence the unhappy fellow began to get squirmy in the hands of his captors. They were going to throw him over the edge of the fence into the filthy water. At the fence the man was almost over, clinging desperately to the other two men. His legs were wrapped around one of the men, his head was over the fence, almost in the water. His arms were wrapped tightly around the second man, and all the while the man was yelling “WHORE” at the top of his lungs, over and over again. (of course in Russian.) Soon a crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle. After about 5 minutes of sheer terror, the two men let the other man go. He was freed. And suddenly the unexpected happened. Everyone began to laugh and embrace. The men who almost lost his life in the water was now shaking his head in disbelief, while the other two men were hugging him and laughing. A cruel joke played on us passerbys? Nay. Instead, it would appear as if all three men were friends, and two of them thought it would be funny to scare their friend lifeless by attempting to throw him into the water. I guess the moral of the story is
I just don’t understand Russian humor.