A duel, as described by Joseph Conrad in "A Set of Six," can be seen as both a reflection of honor and a form of intense competition. It requires participants to have a clear and singular focus on the task at hand, emphasizing a serious and lethal demeanor. This highlights the extreme nature of dueling, reducing it to a battle of wills where the stakes can involve life and death.

This portrayal suggests that dueling, while sometimes romanticized as a noble act, is fundamentally rooted in a brutal mindset. The notion of a "homicidal austerity" conveys the grim reality of such confrontations, stripping away superficial elements and revealing the underlying seriousness of the act itself.