Hall's prose lulls the reader, contrasting an increasingly unsettling mood with an overall calm tone. Hall doesn't have much love for his characters in the tone of the narrative, although he does show some sympathy for the woman's plight. Only at the climax does the prose become frenetic, and only for a moment before a terrible calm takes over again. This also shows what the real priorities are. There is no sad pause for a dead man, but there is a solemnity to the woman's retreat, which allows the reader to process what the woman's safety has cost.