The gauntlet was initially "thrown down" in private and it is not just 4 cardinals. I didn't mention those cardinals by name. 
Burke's humiliation was his removal from the Signatura and being sidelined as Cardinal Patron of the Maltese Order. Mueller as the Pope's doctrinal voice was placed in an impossible position of having to walk a tightrope between upholding Catholic doctrine or contradicting the Pope. Sarah was humiliated by having the majority of his dicastery replaced with members hostile to his views. In all this he is not "standing up for himself", he is ruthlessly getting his own way by hook or by crook. He got into trouble as Jesuit provincial in Argentina for much the same reasons.
You are rather unspecific yourself about how the Friars' and the Knights' cases were "handled by the book". Perhaps you might elaborate on that.
The Pope has often advocated 'making a mess' and Archbishop Bruni admitted that Francis told him to be vague re: reporting the outcome of the Synod.