In Joseph Conrad's "Lord Jim," the protagonist faces intense scrutiny and is pressured to provide concrete evidence to justify his actions. The demand for 'facts' reflects a deep-seated belief that empirical data can elucidate human behavior and moral dilemmas. This insistence on factual evidence underscores the broader struggle between objective truth and subjective experience in understanding one's character and decisions.
Furthermore, the quote highlights a critical tension in the narrative, where the complexities of human emotions and motivations cannot be easily distilled into mere facts. The characters' insistence on facts suggests a desire for simplicity in grappling with moral ambiguity, yet it ultimately reveals the limitations of rationality in capturing the richness of human experience.